A Sudden Reflection
by Skybriel
Summary: 2078, Earth. Sixty years ago, the world was besieged by the creatures of Grimm. Since the war, the UNDF had sealed them behind massive walls, the largest just beyond the Ural Mountains in Russia, "The Scar". Now, the wall is breached, and an investigation into a mysterious comms failure brings together two teams, from two not so different worlds, with one common goal: kill Grimm.
1. Chapter 1: Alert Level Black

_"Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant_  
_filled with odd little waiters who bring you_  
_things you never asked for and don't always like."_

-Lemony Snicket

**A Sudden Reflection**

**Chapter 1: Alert Level Black**

Level Black alerts were a United Nations Defense Force state of emergency reserved for the imminent and/or ongoing threat of a significant Grimm incursion into human occupied areas. For the last forty years, Level Black alerts were synonymous with a breach in the walls that the UNDF constructed to court off regions deemed either lost to the Grimm, or too desolate from the initial war to bother attempting to reclaim.

The Ural Wall was part of the largest of these regions, dubbed The Scar, due to its size and jagged border. A wound that ran the length of Russia, into Kazakhstan. The last official time an alert of Black level had been called along the Ural Wall was during the construction of the wall itself. Since then, it had held fast against the Grimm. Until now.

_'Be advised Saber Team, LZ is on approach. Looks nice and quiet.'_

Dmitry shouldered his T-40g assault rifle as the tilt-rotor descended toward the Cliffside. A sturdy, worn, bullpup rifle, under-slung smart-grenade launcher, digital-camo plates adapting to the drab grays and faded greens of the Northern Urals. He was the first out of the craft, followed by the rest of his team.

Captain Korva, leader of Saber Team, was the next off. She nodded to him as she hit the ground, reassuring the most novice of their group behind her face mask and visor. Crimson hair that would have been waving in the winds were it not tied into a bun was the only color in her otherwise washed-out attire. Dmitry felt rather boring in that instance, his own bland, brown shade making him seem quite dull.

"Make way, D," warned a voice from behind that he recognized as Jay's.

The mountain of a woman came thundering down, landing with a heavy thump. Unlike the Captain, her hair was buzzed short. One could mistake the jet fuzz atop her head for a shadow against her already dark skin. Jay was foreign to Russia –American, and acted like it. It was an increasingly common thing amongst the Rangers since merging with the UNDF.

She, however, was not the only stranger to Russia in Saber.

"Pilot can't wait forever, Malik," Jay called over her shoulder.

Behind her, a short man –and not just compared to the six foot and change, Jay- hopped down, un-holstering a compact SMG. Dmitry had never met someone as technically smart as Malik. He was a small, composed man, hailing from Syria originally, but apparently moved to the UK at some point before eventually making his way to the Rangers. He acted as the mind of Saber. The tuft of hair that comprised his pony-tail waggled in the Ural winds, reminding Dmitry of an over-excited lap-dog.

"Chilly," he commented, adjusting his brown long-coat, one that was identically worn by the rest of Saber.

The coats were a Ranger tradition from long before Dmitry had even been born. It reminded them of their roots in the wilds after the Grimm appeared, their battles on the front, and in the untamed no-mans-land, hunting the creatures of darkness where no military was willing or able to follow. All the more important after officially deferring to the command of the UNDF two decades prior. The coats kept them true; they worked with the UNDF by they were not them, they were Rangers. Before anything else, they were Rangers.

The coat reflected the Ranger. Dmitry's was slightly frayed on the sleeves and shoulders, but was mostly pristine, and was only decorated with a few tally marks down his right sleeve. This was in stark contrast to the Captains coat, which was torn, ripped, and riddled with marks and imperfections. There were many patches along her upper sleeves, and a pair of drawn on wings adorning the backs of each shoulder.

Jay had a large bulls-eye painted onto her back, which Dmitry had found interesting, and a little morbidly funny. A New York Giants patch was sewn into her right shoulder, bearing the number fourteen. Malik had the Syrian, British, and Russian flags patched onto his left sleeve, and the name 'Inaya' down his right. Dmitry would be lying if he said he was not curious about his teammate's choices, but in his opinion one didn't just ask those sorts of things.

The decorations were sacred additions. They told the story of the Ranger, told who they were. Rangers took extreme care in choosing how to adorn their coats, and cherished every new tear and mar as a trophy of survival. A Ranger wasn't truly a Ranger until their coats were torn, that was the old belief anyway. Since the UNDF came into the picture, they had politely asked Rangers to not purposefully throw themselves at more danger than necessary, but when battle was on, few listened. Dmitry had been a Ranger for little over half a year, still awaiting his first tear. Still waiting to prove himself.

"Stay focused, Saber," said Korva, sternly but not harshly.

She turned to Dmitry.

"Take point, Lieutenant."

Dmitry nodded, jogging forward, already analyzing the mountain path, searching for the best route down.

Saber's objected in the Ural was still yet off in the distance, and a few hundred feet down in his visor's way-point was accurate. Intel from high altitude fly-by's indicated the Grimm had already penetrated this deeply past the wall, and were in high density around the communications facility. The facility's function under normal circumstances, was to track a two-hundred fifty kilometer section of the wall, monitor its structural integrity, its power consumption, and other factors. It should have alerted UNDCOM and the nearest UNDF garrison of the breach in the wall as soon as it had occurred, and called a Black alert.

It did not.

Instead, the Black alert was called several hours later, when the Grimm began pouring into Kotova, one of the cities that sprang up during the construction of the Ural wall. The UNDF responded appropriately, but that wasn't Saber's concern at the moment. Their objective was to investigate what had caused the comm. failure, and more importantly, how the Grimm had breached the wall. The aerial scouting had noted heavy structural damage to the facility, lots of thermal and radiological readings, and several casualties. Other than that, however, they'd need eyes on the inside to learn more.

Dmitry eased down another slope, coming to a shattered section of the path he'd been following. There was enough room left to sidle by on, though it would be precarious. Dmitry decided to give it a shot, and let his rifle hang by its strap as he used both his arms to balance himself as he slowly edged his way across. Nerve-wracking, but doable, he leapt that last foot or so over, and sat tight, waiting for the rest of Saber.

The Captain was the first he saw, closely followed by Jay and Malik.

"Well ain't that peachy," grunted Jay, looking at the lack of path.

Dmitry nodded toward the small outcropping of rock he'd used to cross. The team looked skeptical, but Captain Korva gave him the benefit of the doubt and followed his advice. The other two followed suit.

About halfway, Dmitry heard a blood-chilling caw, and dropped to a kneeling position, shouldering his rifle again, scanning for threats. The call echoed across the mountains.

"Hold," hissed Korva.

Not a second later, a Blackbird soared over them, crashing down upon the rock face, talons rending the mountain stone above them. The shock nearly sent the three of them tumbling over, but Korva and Jay caught their balance. Malik, though, lost his footing.

Jay's hand was there in an instant, grasping his. His weight added to hers, she knew she would never maintain her balance. Instead, she beat gravity to the punch and slid off on her own, catching herself with her free hand on the outcrop, her great strength holding both her and Malik over the otherwise very long way down.

After that, the three went still as statues, praying the Blackbird hadn't heard their commotion. Dmitry shuffled closer to the edge of the cliff, trying to catch a glimpse.

The massive Grimm sat perched over the edge directly above, but made no indication it knew they were there. His gaze constantly shifting between the beast above and his team, he motioned for them to try and continue across. He kept his rifle trained on the bird, despite knowing logically it would do nothing. Blackbirds were impervious to most conventional small-arms fire. If it found them, they would be near helpless out in the open.

Jay, with only her one arm, managed to lift Malik to where he could grasp the outcropping on his own. Once she knew they were secure, Korva continued, leaping over much the same as Dmitry had done. She turned back to help Jay up over the edge, and Dmitry did the same for Malik. The four sat under the bird, watching their breaths and making a concerted effort to make no noise.

The Blackbird fluttered its feathers a few times, before emitting another ear-splitting caw and lifting off once more, flying out of sight.

Saber sighed in relief as it left.

"Good thing you're such a pipsqueak," jabbed Jay. "Man, fuckin Blackbirds. I can't believe they got this deep. When's the last time any Grimm's got this far into UNDF turf?"

"Never," replied Malik. "At least, not since the walls. We've never had a comms failure like this."

Jay re-adjusted her support rifle, a long, log-like piece of weaponry with twin drum ammo canisters, containing the heaviest armor-piercing firepower that could be fit into the chambers. The rocket-launcher strapped to her back rustled against her coat, and Dmitry passingly envied her endurance, wondered how she was able to carry so much gear.

"Think the Grimm figured out what they do? Found a way to get around them?"

"We won't find out sitting here," said Captain Korva. "We can theorize after we dust-off. Right now, we get our jobs done."

Saber nodded.

"Dmitry," she said. "Continue."

* * *

As the leader of Team RWBY, Ruby consciously knew she had to keep a clear head in the field. She knew this, but knowing that didn't stop the worry and confusion for piling up in her mind. There were too many unanswered questions to be had in her situation, and Ruby hated to not know things. What's more, she had neither Blake, nor Yang since waking in the strange building she was, for now, calling a base of operations, not that there had been much operating. She, thankfully, had Weiss with her, but she was just as lost as Ruby, though she loathed to admit it.

They woke with a pounding in their heads, finding themselves laying in a crater that had decimated what had once looked like a sort of cafeteria. Whatever had happened to them, it had thrown them right through a large satellite dish, and two floors of reinforced concrete. They were unsure as to how they'd survived such an impact, or even what it was that had brought them there. Everything was such a blur; they remembered Beacon and their friends just fine, but the circumstances which led them away from them were mysteriously absent from both of their memories.

The building itself had been full of Grimm, once Ruby had managed to break down the sealed door on the first floor. There were human bodies messily strewn across the halls and rooms, along with a few Grimm corpses, but many more live ones. A battle had taken place right on top of them, and the defenders had clearly lost. The two Huntresses, not forgetting their duty, exterminated the infestation, driving off the pack of Beowolves that had besieged the facility. A Nevermore had screeched over as well, but left them be, which Ruby was thankful for. She did not feel like having to deal with the beast at the moment.

The young team leader stood in what she guessed as some sort of observation room. It had what would have probably been a nice view of the bridge outside, and the chasm it traversed, had it not been for the remains splattered across the scene. Ruby, not unaccustomed to death, had still never seen so many dead bodies in one place. It made her nauseous; it appeared that no-one had made it into the room she currently occupied, so she was alone, with only the few Beowolves she'd killed near the doorway to keep her company.

Weiss had insisted on investigating the rooms, to find a clue as to their whereabouts, she said. Ruby wasn't sure it would do any good, the entire building seemed without power.

When they'd first awoken, she'd assumed they were in one of the districts of Vale, but the presence of Grimm made that seem unlikely. Now, staring out into the vast mountain range which they had found themselves in, Ruby had to face the fact that she had no idea where they were. Remnant had many mountain ranges, only one of which she'd ever seen with her own eyes, and she was fairly certain this was not Mountain Glenn, so their location was up in the air. Her scroll could not find a signal, so she was unable to call for help, though she did activate her Global Dust Positioner, hoping the signal would be picked up by someone. She also had no idea what this facility was even for, though Weiss guessed from the large dish that it might be some sort of communications station. It was as good a guess as any.

Frankly, Ruby figured they had two options. One was to hold up in the facility –they'd found some stored food and water, so they could make it for a couple of days if they were smart about it. Rescue could come, but that was a maybe, not a certainty. The other was to stock up and head out, to try and figure out how far from Vale and Beacon they were, and how they could get back. That also presented issues, considering they, again, had absolutely no idea where they were, or how to determine that. There was, of course, also the Grimm to consider.

Personally, Ruby wanted to leave and try to link back up with Blake and Yang. Something told her they were out there somewhere too. Practically though, staying put was the safer option, even if she didn't like it. The facility, if nothing else, was a defensible position and a landmark, and if there was rescue coming, they would be easier to find if they stayed put.

The crimson Huntress sighed, setting Crescent Rose down on a nearby table, and leaned over the ledge next to the windows. The mountains were a captivating view an hour ago when she first saw them, but their stagnant nature and dull colors were growing old quickly.

Which made it all the easier to spot movement in the distance.

It had to make out at first, only gray and brown blotches against an otherwise unremarkable ridge, but soon she saw them moving down the cliff-side. Rappelling down it. People, actual humans, had arrived, and as they closed in from across the bridge, she saw they were armed. Military.

She thought maybe Atlesian soldiers at first, but no. They lacked the signature white that all Atlesian troops bore. They were browns and faded greens, with some gray mixed in. Long coats flapped in the wind, and black masks of plastic and metal obscured their faces, green-tinted visors covering their eyes. Their weapons were rustic and utilitarian, lacking any grace. She did not recognize them at all. They looked very intimidating upon closer inspection, and Ruby dropped low to avoid detection as she headed back through the disgusting hall to find Weiss.

"Weiss," she hissed. "Weiss!"

"I'm in here," she called, her voice echoing out from a room to Ruby's right.

The room labelled "Dish Control" was a mess of spilled papers and overturned chairs. Weiss was flipping through some of the folders lying on the desks, illuminating her search with a flashlight (thank you, pocketed combat skirts!). Her half-silhouetted face turned to her leader for a moment before returning to her investigation.

"What is it?"

"People," she said. "Soldiers, I think, I'm not sure. They don't look like any I've ever seen. They're heading here, fast too."

Weiss stood up from her desk.

"Drat," she muttered. "Well, we don't know why they're here. They might be friendly, they may be hostile. Let's stay out of sight for now, and we'll figure out what to do once we have a better idea of who they are."

Ruby nodded. "Sounds like a plan. We can probably hide on those lights up there."

She motioned to the inoperable lights above them. Weiss inspected them with her flashlight; they were thin, narrow things, but were supported by metal beams. They hung low enough that if they crouched, they could fit comfortably enough.

"They look like they could support one of us each," Ruby continued. "Nobody ever looks up."

"Not a bad idea," Weiss agreed.

Ruby basked in pride of her cleverness for all but a split-second before it was ruined by one embarrassing oversight.

"Oh no, I forgot Crescent Rose in the lounge," she whined. "I have to go get her!"

"Ruby, wai- ugh."

She was already gone.

Ruby hopped over her slain foes that impeded her progress through the lounge door, seeing her mechanical companion resting where she'd left it, on the table. She rushed to it, hugging it tightly.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I'll never leave you again," she cooed.

Slipping it back behind her waist, she jogged back to the door, hearing the soft murmur of voices down the hall. She stopped short of the doorframe and poked her head out. The masked invaders were on the second floor already! Two of them strode down the hall, one turning into the room Weiss was hiding in, the other coming straight for her.

She needed to hide. The lounge was not as convenient a place for stealth as the Dish Control room. Smaller, more light, and in her desperation she jumped up into the corner of the ceiling next to the door, and held herself in place with the help of her aura. With any luck, he would pass her by, and she could sneak out undetected.

Ruby held her breath as the newcomer stepped inside.

* * *

The communications facility's bridge, reaching across the large chasm between the security gate and the sole road leading up from below the base of the mountain, was thankfully still intact. Saber team was now only maybe two hundred feet up, and directly above the road across from the bridge, and overlooked the stretch of open land that they would have to cross. Because of their approach, they knew at least one Blackbird was flying about, and if it circled back, they'd be spotted in no time flat.

Dmitry could see from their vantage point on a ridge just over the road that there were several dead Grimm along the bridge and in the facility's court proper. There were just as many slain security personnel and maintenance workers, some still inside demolished vehicles. The damage to the communications array was also clearly visible. There was a gaping hole blown right through it, still smoldering. From the smoke rising, it appeared that whatever had hit it, had also pierced the facility. All in all, it had been quite a battle from the looks of it, but the stillness of the scene gave the impression that there was no life left to be found.

"I don't get it," said Jay. "Just two hours ago this place was crawling, now nothing. They couldn't have killed them all."

None of Saber replied. Dmitry kept on surveying the bridge, while Malik and the Captain focused on a small device that Malik had inserted in his wrist-mounted mini-computer. Not much larger than a smart-phone but with the computing power of a high-end desktop, it even had multiple USB and SD ports for system interfacing and data retrieval.

Currently, he was examining a motion tracker, trying to determine if it was safe to make the run.

"Anything?" asked Korva.

Malik shook his head.

"Nothing moving with significant mass. At least, not within a click of here; of course, these facilities are usually resistant to this kind of tech, so who knows what might actually be in there. As for the approach, I'd say we're as clear as we're going to be," he concluded.

"Alright, Malik, you and I will rappel down first. Jay, Dmitry, you both will cover us. When we reach the bottom, follow us down, we'll return the favor."

"Got it," replied Jay. Dmitry nodded.

Korva and Malik secured their hooks and attached their lines before rhythmically dropping down the cliff-side. While they descended, Jay took watch of the sky, while Dmitry kept on scanning the bridge.

"Weird how quiet it is," commended Jay. "Think this could be a trap? Grimm can get pretty crafty."

Dmitry shrugged, causing her to sigh.

"D, you have got to stop with the silent protagonist bullshit sooner or later, it's super creepy."

He looked over from his intense surveying for a fraction of a second. Two beeps came over the short-range comms.

"Thanks our cue," Jay said.

The two Rangers hooked themselves in, Dmitry fighting the urge to look down. The day seemed to be reveling in taking him out of his comfort zone. He shook his head, cleared his mind. Just focus on the mission, he told himself.

He hit the ground with a reassuring crunch, black-top and gravel beneath his feet as he contacted the first man-made surface since exiting the tilt-rotor. Sweet, solid ground.

"Dmitry," said the Captain. "Front and center. Malik, we watch the flanks for that Blackbird, Jay has our six. We make for the collapse in the forward wall."

They wordlessly came together in formation, Dmitry leading the advance. There was a nice, Gimm-sized piece of the wall near the main entrance missing that would afford them easy access.

There were roars in the distance, echoing up to the bridge, but no movement in their vicinity. The tracker had been honest, thus far. Dmitry pushed non-imminent threats out of his mind; his concern was in front of him. However, his mind did wander to the damage to the array. It was a peculiar piece of damage, not anything he'd ever seen a Grimm do, and it had been there even during the fly-bys. Whatever it was, it had happened either before, or right as the breach occurred. The convenience of the timing and location didn't sit well with him, and he felt the rest of Saber come to similar conclusions, even if none of them voiced it, though Jay seemed like she wanted to.

Rangers didn't believe in coincidences, though this was one time where Dmitry hoped the Rangers were wrong. The alternative implications were not pleasant topics of speculation.

The four scurried quickly through the remains of the battle. The lack of Grimm was both suspicious and concerning, and the prospect of facing them in close quarters was unappealing, but Dmitry still couldn't shake the shiver of the stillness around him. He felt as though they were being watched, and while he didn't feel a sense of danger, it did feel scrutinizing.

Upon reaching the collapsed wall, Dmitry and Malik took to inspecting the interior, cautiously moving through the rubble, weapons raised. The power seemed to be out, even the emergency lighting was inoperable. Dmitry quickly tapped his visor, sending it into IR mode. The Captain and Jay did as well, as they followed in.

They made a quick sweep, checked if anyone had survived –they hadn't— and moved on. The collapse had led them into a security checkpoint, nothing more than a greeting area. The only other door had been smashed open, leading to a hallway. Several more corpses from both sides littered the walkway, forcing the team to take pains to step around them.

The first floor was nothing particularly important, Dmitry noted, as he read off the door labels in his head. Just a lounge, some equipment lockers, a maintenance room. Only the security room was of any note, though the Captain guessed what they were really after was on the second floor. Stairs lay at the end of the hallway.

A few more Grimm impeded their progress up the flight, and a make-shift barricade blocked off the top, manned by two more fallen guards. It was easy enough to hop over. The door at the top was also smashed off its hinges.

The second floor's hallways was much the same as the first, but held more of what they were after. The Operations Room, Dish Control, and the server room all comprised the second story, with a small observation room at the end of the hall, overlooking the bridge and courtyard.

The doors to the server room were locked, like the door to the mess. Also like the mess door, the server room doors were also warped outward, like they had sustained a mighty blow. Glancing through the window, Malik informed them that the impact of whatever had hit the Dish had crashed straight through the servers, and down into the lounge.

They were picking up residual radiological readings, like the ones the scout drone had picked up, only faded. Malik said it was unreal, that the radiation they had observed shouldn't have dissipated so quickly. It was just more unexplained strangeness to an already confusing scene.

There was no getting into the server room, not that it would have done them much good in its state. Instead, they focused on the rooms they could get to. Malik took Ops, to try and interface with their systems and get to their data logs, hoping they had readings on the wall when the breach occurred. The Captain would inspect dish-control, perhaps to get a better idea of what had damaged it. Jay headed back downstairs to try and recover any relevant security footage she could find. Dmitry would sweep through the observation lounge, just to make sure the whole building was clear, and keep lookout for any Grimm, their Blackbird friend in particular.

Each with their own jobs, the four split up. Dmitry trekked down the long hallways, stepping around Grimm and human carcasses, boots crunching against shell-casings. The Ranger was thankful for the built-in air-filters his mask afforded him; he was sure without them, the air would smell smoky and uncomfortably damp. From what little of his skin that was exposed, he could feel that it was hot, though that was probably due just as much to the mysteriously fading radiation as the residual gunfire and cooling bodies.

The lounge door was loose on its hinges, but open. Sunlight poured in from the many wide windows, giving the room enough natural lighting that the IR filter on his visor was not needed. A quick tap returned him to the familiar spectrum of visible light.

There were only the fast fading bodies of Grimm in the lounge, no humans. Other than the slain monstrosities, it would have been a fairly normal lounge. Couches and tables, though mostly overturned, seemed in good condition, and there was a lack of structural damage that had been so consistent in the rest of the facility.

It was as if the battle had ceased just a few feet beyond the door.

Dmitry walked further into the room, listening carefully for any sign of movement. The whole lounge was permeated with the same calm but eerie stillness as everywhere else, like he was walking inside some carefully constructed model. Everything seemed motionless and empty, the lounge included, but still he felt as though there were prying eyes upon him. Closer than before. He tried to play it off as nerves, glancing out the windows, down at the bridge.

Nothing, except the wind.

No Grimm in sight was usually a cause for celebration, but it only served to put Dmitry on edge. Something was not right. There was something critical they were missing.

In that moment, Dmitry became aware of a rustling behind him. It sounded like fabric. He turned, rifle half-raised, only to find empty air. Looking side to side, he still found nothing of note. His imagination?

He turned back around to the windows, feeling as though he'd just missed something pass him by as he did so. He looked around again, but still nothing. Dmitry scratched the back of his head, and in looking down to do so, glimpsed something that had not been there before.

The Ranger knelt down and pinched the sudden source of color between his fingers. A flower petal? Red, like a rose, but no roses grew in the region, and the lounge was without floral decor.

Which meant there was someone, or something, with him.

* * *

As soon as the long-coated stranger came to a half in front of the windows, Ruby dropped down as quietly as possible. Apparently, it wasn't quietly enough, or the soldier just had incredibly good ears, because he twitched as she descended.

Thinking quickly, she activated her semblance, whizzing behind him as he turned around. His weapon was nearly at the ready, though she could hardly blame him. This place _was_ spooky, and mysterious noises would put her on edge too. He took a few looks around before decided it was nothing. Ruby realized he was preparing to turn back around, so she repeated her previous tactic, and whirled around him, just out of his view.

She came to a stop behind him, back near the door, avoiding nearly tripping over the Beowolf corpses. Ruby steadied herself and sighed a silent sigh of relief, looking back at the soldier to make sure she hadn't been seen or heard.

While she herself had been undetected, she had been careless with her semblance, and left behind one of the tiny aura petals that was so common a byproduct of its use. The stranger had knelt over and was inspecting it curiously, and for a moment she was convinced she was busted, and cringed.

Her cringing was intensified by a sudden ear-rending bird-like screech. Both she and the soldier's heads swiveled to the window. Ruby couldn't see anything, but knew the call.

The soldier suddenly dove to the side, and she put two-and-two together, realizing what must have been coming next. Her heroic instincts took over, not willing to put stealth over well-being of another human being, and kicked her semblance back in, moving across the room in a split-second, dragging the man far-clear of the volley.

As they tumbled over to the far wall, she was glad she'd done so. The feathers had punched right through the glass and ceiling; the poor guy would have been a pin-cushion.

Once they'd rolled to a stop, Ruby looked up, coming face to mask with her fellow-in-distress. All she could really think to do, was look on, and thought to herself, _'Weiss probably won't like this.'_

* * *

Dmitry looked up from his inspection of the red petal at the sound of a familiar screech, only to be greeted by a fast approaching flurry of piercing feathers. He threw himself into a roll, but inwardly cursed, knowing it probably wouldn't be enough to get clear. The feathers could easily penetrate the thin metal and concrete of the building, to say nothing of the glass.

Suddenly Dmitry jerked further than his understanding of physics should have allowed, given the force and direction he'd put into his leap. That being said, he wasn't complaining. Whatever had happened had knocked him clear of the feathers, which impaled his former general vicinity not a second later.

Quick to regain his bearings, Dmitry looked up to find a young girl slumped clumsily over him. She was a small, pale thing, right down to her eyes, but she was colorfully decked in a frilly, red trimmed black dress and corset. Her hair matched her scheme. She looked up at him shyly with a hint of apology, but mostly concern.

Dmitry, who was too dumbfounded for words, even if he'd wanted to speak any, just gave a thumbs up to indicate he was in one piece. She replied with a smile, before rolling off him and un-holstering maybe the largest, most unwieldy rifle Dmitry had ever seen. It gave Jay's LMG a run for its money, and it only looked more massive when put against the perspective of such a tiny looking girl.

She rushed to the edge of the windows, propping it up for balance, and began firing with impressive speed for a bolt-action weapon. Dmitry could see, getting to his feet, that the Blackbird seemed more affected by her ammunition than any Saber had on hand, perhaps the exception, again, being Jay's armament. He passingly wondered how much recoil such a weapon had, and how such a frail looking thing could bear it. These thoughts were banished, as his Ranger thought process took control once more.

He pressed into his ear-piece three times in rapid succession, sending the shrill noises over the team-wide channel, warning them of the danger. The signal sent, he rushed over to tap the girl's shoulder, gaining her attention and motioning for her to follow him further into the facility. She gave the Blackbird one last glance, and then bolted behind him.

Captain Korva and Malik exited into the hallway as they did. The Captain's eyes went straight to the mystery girl, almost raising her rifle before noticing her subordinate's unguarded demeanor, and gave Dmitry a questioning look instead. Malik joined them a few seconds later, doing much the same.

"Dmitry, who…," he trailed off. "What?"

Dmitry looked at Ruby, then shrugged.

"Dmitry…who is this?" asked the Captain, unsure of just what she was seeing. Why was there a girl in a damn tutu running around a UNDF communications facility in the middle of a Level Black alert?

"Ruby Rose," the girl spoke for the first time.

The Captain and Malik both turned to her simultaneously, suddenly giving her the feeling of intense judgment.

"Uh…my name. It's Ruby Rose."

"Ruby Rose," repeated Korva. "And just what are you doing here, Ruby Rose?"

"Would you take 'I don't know' as an answer?"

Their silence gave her the impression that they would not. At least, it wasn't the one they wanted to hear.

"I don't even know where here is," she insisted. "Honest!"

They still didn't seem to believe her, but Korva's next words seemed to indicate she'd leave it alone for the moment, and turn to more important matters.

"Dmitry, what did you spot?"

"Nevermore," spoke up Ruby again.

"A what?" asked Malik.

"A Nevermore?" she repeated incredulously. "You know, giant Grimm, flies around? It's making a lot of noise out there, I think it might be calling for more."

The Captain cursed under her breath. "Blackbird."

"Alright," said Malik. "Well you have fun with your schoolgirl, Dmitry. I'm going to get back to Ops and get things done so we can leave and not die."

The short Ranger sped off back down the hallway, leaving Ruby with only Dmitry and Captain Korva. The superior officer was giving him a hard look under her mask, he could feel it.

"Are you alone, Ruby Rose?" she asked, turning to look at the small girl.

Ruby hesitated. Weiss was right in the next room, but should she say anything? She was still unsure of who these people were, or why they were here, or where they were from. Still, looking up to Dmitry, she got the sense that he was a decent person. Quiet, but decent. They also seemed to be at least partially concerned for her safety, though clearly not happy that she was there.

For now they had a common enemy; they wanted the Grimm gone and so did she. Maybe if she and Weiss helped, they'd be inclined to help them in return; to help them find their way out of the mountains, or better yet, to help them find Blake and Yang. It seemed the best option to cooperate with them.

"No, there's one other person. She's hiding, but I can get her."

Ruby, once again, got the sense that it was not the answer the Captain wanted to hear, as she sighed heavily. She didn't seem outright angry, and was overall tolerating the unexpected developments, and that was a good sign in Ruby's book.

Finally, the Captain spoke again. "Dmitry, do you think you can handle this teenage girl while I round up Jay, and we figure out what to do about all this?"

Dmitry simply put a hand on the girl's shoulder, gave a thumbs up, and then jabbed it lightly towards himself.

"Good," she said tiredly. "Get her squared away, then go meet Malik in Ops."

The Captain turned and sprinted down the hall, towards the stairs. Dmitry turned back to Ruby, who grabbed him by the sleeve of his coat and pulled him along into the dish-control room. The Ranger followed, not wanting to lose track of her.

"Weiss," she called into the room. "You can come out, they're okay."

There was a faint echo of a huff, and suddenly a girl in a white dress, similar to little red's, but more angular, and complimented by an equally white jacket, leapt down from the ceiling lights, which were relatively low hanging, long sockets, held by pairs of thin beams. They did make for effective hiding-spots, he noted.

Her long, also snow-white hair, whipped in the motion. It hung loosely in an elaborate pony-tail, tied to the right side. The asymmetry of it had its own sort of grace that Dmitry felt hard-pressed to describe, even to himself. She seemed to exude the very essence of ice, right down to a pale complexion, even more so than Ruby's. Her pale-blue eyes seemed the only color she would permit, and even it gave the cold, rigid sensation of winter.

She was definitely older than Ruby, though younger than him, but not by much. Two years, three perhaps?

"Ruby, we agreed that we'd stay out of sight, not socialize."

"I know, but a Nevermore showed up, and it was kind of my fault Dmitry almost got hurt. Plus, he seems nice," she explained, and looked up at him. "Right, Dmitry?"

Dmitry shrugged, and waved his hand in a so-so gesture. Little red, no, Ruby –he made a mental note, Ruby and Weiss were their names- snickered.

"If you're quite done," she chided.

"If it's calling for more Grimm, we should deal with it. I'd rather not attract even more _unwanted_ _attention_ today," she said, narrowing her gaze at Dmitry.

Dmitry tapped Ruby's rifle, then pointed to Weiss questioningly.

"If you're concerned as to whether I'm armed," she said, drawing a rapier of all things. "I'm perfectly capable of defending myself. As Huntresses, killing Grimm is something of a regularity for us."

Dmitry would have argued that no-one hunted Grimm for sport, nor had he ever seen anyone go out hunting in frilly dresses, but those were arguments for another time, and for someone more vocally inclined. Now, he needed to join Saber. Ruby seemed at least somewhat well equipped to tackle the threat, having a powerful fire-arm. Weiss' choice of weapon was concerning, as well as confusing, but she seemed totally confident, and if they'd killed Grimm, he supposed they could look after themselves at least.

The Ranger shrugged again, and nodded toward the door. The two girls followed him out into the hall and down to the opposite end, into Ops. Malik was seated at a command station near the front of the room, back turned to them, frantically working against the soft glow of a computer monitor. He had a micro-fusion cell hooked up to the terminal, providing limited power to the surrounding equipment.

He looked over his shoulder, then did a double take as they approached.

"It's been like_ two minutes_," he exclaimed. "You found _another one_?"

"Another what?" asked Jay from the hall.

Dmitry turned to see her and the Captain rounding through the threshold. Jay stopped and gave Ruby and Weiss an odd look.

"Can someone explain the cheerleaders?" interjected Jay.

Weiss folded her hands and scoffed.

"Excuse me, we are _not_ cheerleaders. We're huntresses, and we expect to be treated as such," she said in a huff.

"Sure sound like cheerleaders," she muttered to herself.

"Enough," said Korva sternly, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Malik, situation."

"I've got a compiler running," he explained. "Finding the data wasn't hard, we're just nabbing the last twenty-four hours of it to be sure. Problem is, lots of it's scrambled to hell and I'm trying to piece it all together as I go. I'm guessing it was a system-wide power-surge. Should take a couple more minutes still."

Korva turned to Jay, indicating it was her turn to share. She shook her head.

"Security system was out. I'd have suggested bringing the fusion cell down there to try and nab some of the footage if we had time, but I don't think we have the luxury anymore."

Their leader nodded. "And we already know what Dmitry has contributed to the mission. Now the problem remains: what to do about the Blackbird? We can't hole up in here forever, and it's only a matter of time before more Grimm converge on us."

Jay gestured to the rocket-launcher strapped to her back.

"I got three shells for this puppy, plus my LM-19's packin' AP rounds, but we'll be fresh outta ordinance taking that sucker down, and that's if they all connect. Those bastards are fast."

"Ruby," spoke up Weiss. "Didn't you outfit Crescent Rose with some higher-impact rounds before we got caught up in all this?"

"Excuse me?" interrupted the Captain.

Ruby drew her monstrous red rifle. A scope, grip and stock ping out from the mechanical beast, and she shouldered the weapon like a trained sniper.

"Yup," she said sweetly. Jay gave a whistle as she eyed the weapon.

"Red Riding-hood sure came expecting the wolf," she laughed. "Can you even use that thing?"

Dmitry came to her defense, patting the rifle in her hands and giving Jay the OK signal. He then imitated the Blackbird with his hands and pantomimed Ruby firing her rifle, with a little 'pow' sound effect. It was the first sound any of them had ever heard him make, and it would have been funny had the situation not been so dire.

"A ringing endorsement if I've ever heard one," joked Jay."

Weiss was seething at her mocking. "This place was _swarming_ with Grimm not two hours ago. I didn't see any of _you_ around to clean up the mess. It fell to us."

"_You_ killed them," questioned Malik, breaking from his work at the terminal to shoot them a glance.

"Most of them," she replied.

Jay scoffed and muttered, "Yeah, right."

The Captain shut her down. "They're no older than many who chose the path of the Ranger, and they _are_ armed. Strange as all this is, if there's one thing we know better than any, it's that age is no determinate factor."

It was the truth, and they all knew it. The only real requirement to apply to the Rangers was to be sixteen years of age, and to be sound of body and mind. Everything else was sorted out later during initiation, which had some…higher standards. Regardless, it was not unheard of, or uncommon, for teenagers to be accepted for Ranger training. The old order had been built on the young, and in many ways it still was. The only thing that mattered was your ability to survive; race, sex, gender, creed, and age were all irrelevant.

Ruby and Weiss weren't Rangers, but if they wanted to live, they were going to have to be.

"I can kill it," said Ruby.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, but don't get ahead of yourself," warned the Captain.

Ruby shook her head.

"No, I mean I know I can. I've killed a Nevermore before."

"It's true," chimed in Weiss. "I was there. Also I would appreciate _some_ of the credit, seeing as I helped."

"How did you kill it?" Korva asked.

Ruby twisted Crescent Rose in her hands, and the mechanism folded out further, transforming in an instant into a massive scythe, twice her size. She slammed the blade to the floor, supporting the shaft against her shoulders.

Malik nearly fell out of his chair, cursing in Arabic.

"Sweet baby Jesus," murmured Jay.

"Yeah," replied Ruby sheepishly. "I went a little nuts designing it, but Crescent Rose here helped me kill the first Nevermore. I sliced its head off."

Jay shook her head in disbelief. "You know what? Fuck it, I have to see this. Captain, permission to help the cheerleader decapitate the giant monster?"

Malik rolled back around in his seat. "Okay, well since we've clearly dipped into the Twilight Zone, and nothing makes sense anymore, I might as well throw my own insane idea onto the table."

The Captain stepped over to the terminal, peeking past Malik's shoulder.

"This station has a compliment of surveillance drones it uses to monitor the wall," he explained. "This terminal has remote-access to them; I can get a few of them running and get the Blackbird's attention, maybe get it chasing them."

Weiss popped back into the conversation. "Could you lead it somewhere specific?"

"Sure, I guess. Was there somewhere in particular you want it to go?"

"The bridge," replied Weiss. "Get it low over the bridge, and we'll take it from there."

Malik hesitantly looked to the Captain for some kind of approval, who looked at the two girls standing before her. She suddenly walked toward Ruby, never taking the blank green visors that seemed to be boring into her soul off of her. The short Huntress swallowed hard under the unblinking gaze.

"Say the words again, Ruby Rose," she said. "Say them to me. Can you kill that Blackbird?"

"Yes."

"Yes, what?" she insisted.

"Yes, I can kill it."

She turned her head to Weiss.

"Yes, I can kill it," she repeated.

Her gaze broke instantly, turning back to the seated Ranger.

"Malik," she said, the weight of her authority carried in the name alone.

There was no reply, only an acknowledgement of her command, and he set to work at the terminal. Korva marched past the others, waving them alone to follow her. The two remaining Rangers and the two Huntresses filed out, and headed down the stairs.

"I'm guessing you have a plan?" asked Ruby.

"It's simple," replied Weiss. "The Nevermore gets low as it approaches the bridge, I use one of my glyphs to launch you, you use those new rounds of yours and keep your momentum, and you should have sufficient velocity to clip its wing off. Gravity will do the rest of our work for us. The fall down will be more than enough to kill it."

"Uh-huh, and what about the part where I go flying off the edge?"

"As if I didn't think of that," she scoffed. "I'll have another glyph ready to catch you as you decelerate, don't worry. You can re-bound back to the bridge."

"Okay then," Ruby nodded. "Sounds good enough."

'_Drones are coming online now,'_ said Malik over the radio.

"The drones are ready," informed the Captain to the Huntresses. "Be prepared for anything once we get out there."

The group was approaching the collapsed wall in the front that they had entered through. The five stopped, and the Rangers crept forward to survey the area. The courtyard and bridge, which had been quiet as a graveyard when they arrived, was now teeming with Direwolves and a few Grizzlies. They seemed, as of yet, unaware of their approach.

"Well shit," Jay cursed. "Guess the giant, evil chicken _was_ calling for help."

The Captain came onto the radio. "Get the drones into the sky, Malik. We have some more company out here, we'll be clearing a path to the bridge. Keep the Blackbird occupied until I give the order."

_'Copy that.'_

Captain Korva turned to Ruby and Weiss. "Stay behind us, we'll cut through the Grimm for you and keep you covered while you deal with the Blackbird. I'll order Malik to begin his run when we get to the middle of the bridge."

The two girls nodded, and Korva nodded back.

"Jay," she said. "If you would."

"It would be my pleasure," she replied, hefting her LMG.

The thundering of the weapon shattered the quiet of the mountains. Jay steadily advanced forward, letting her rifle shred all that stepped to face her. Two Direwolves fell before the rest of the pack even realized they were under attack. Dmitry and Captain Korva followed her through the breach, Ruby and Weiss tagging behind a few feet away.

The Blackbird soared overhead at the sudden commotion, screeching its awful cry. A series of buzzes followed, and the two Huntresses looked up to see the drones, a half-dozen of them, scream by and begin to zoom around the Blackbird's head, causing it to break off from the ground engagement.

The skies above safe for a moment, the two girls returned their attention to the imminent threats ahead. Jay fired away with near reckless abandon, though there were no shortage of targets. Her LMG cut a blood swath onto the bridge –the sheer force and ferocity of her assault was too overwhelming to deny.

To her right flank, Captain Korva fired in controlled bursts of varying intensity, slaying her enemies with an instinctual intuition as to how to hit them, where, and how much. It was like watching an experience seamstress weave cloth, or an expert guitarist tune their instrument; she seemed to just feel the flow of battle, and act accordingly. Ruby swore none of the Grimm came within twenty feet of her.

On the other side, was Dmitry. Unlike the Captain, who was flowing and fluid in her movements, Dmitry was like a machine. No movement was wasted, no time set aside; he fired three rounds rapid, always hitting his opponents in their eye-sockets, or their exposed necks, or one-burst to a leg to disable, then another to the head to kill. He reloaded so quickly it was like he never stopped firing, and no round was spend on a shot that would not result, or at least contribute, to the death of his prey. Much like Ruby appreciated Korva's grace, Weiss had an appreciation for Dmitry's sterile and efficient approach to combat. There was no passion in it, only an acknowledgment of what had to be done.

The Direwolves, of which nearly twenty lay dead, began to back off from the Rangers, realizing their assault was for naught. Instead, the Grizzlies made their advance. Jay had little trouble slaying the first, though she found herself out of ammo afterwards, leaving her helpless to the next in the charge.

A loud crack exploded from behind her. Jay whipped around to see tiny Ruby, shouldering her Crescent Rose in rifle form, the barrel still smoking. The support gunner looked back at the Grimm, its boney head-plate was cracked open, chunks of whatever were inside Grimm heads painting the ground. Jay paid her a quick nod of thanks, as she scrambled to reload her weapon with a new drum.

Meanwhile, Dmitry made use of his secondary weapon, the thump of his launcher, and the hiss of the smart-grenades as they directed themselves toward the tagged Grizzlies sounding off in rhythm as his mechanical dexterity began replacing the spent explosive as soon as it was fired. He changed targets as soon as the projectile was free to pursue the last, knowing in full confidence that it was strike home.

By the time the five had reached the center of the bridge, the Rangers had a nice barricade of Grimm corpses from which to establish a line of defense.

"Malik, we're in position!" the Captain shouted over the comms.

_'Roger that, I've got this thing eating out of the palm of my hand. Just make sure the cheerleaders are ready,'_ he replied.

The buzzing drones whipped overhead, followed faithfully by the screeching bird.

"Malik is starting his run," Korva shouted. "Whatever you two have planned, get ready! Saber, keep the bridge!"

"Right!" acknowledged Weiss. "Ruby!"

"Already on it!" she replied over the roar of gunfire.

The red Huntress swing Crescent Rose around, barrel-end facing behind her, crouching low in anticipation of quick action. Weiss held forth Myrtenaster, feeling the familiar chill of her semblance rising forth. The Nevermore, or Blackbird as the Rangers insisted on calling it, was screaming toward them, the drones keeping pace ahead. They would be sweeping just over their heads, but this Malik seemed to have the presence of mind to keep the drones separated enough to not interfere with whatever plan they were going to enact.

Weiss eyeballed their approach, and counted down in her head for the right time. Just as the Nevermore was sweeping the lowest on it downward arc, Weiss twisted Myrtenaster, forming a white, snowflake shaped glyph in front of her, angled just slightly upward to give Ruby an angle to gain altitude.

"Now!" she cried.

Ruby leapt up and back, using her aura to reach the aerial glyph, felt the soles of her boots hit the deceptively solid arcane barrier, and no sooner did she make contact, did Weiss thrust Myrtenaster, rocketing the younger girl into the air. Crescent Rose's muzzle barked twice, increasing Ruby's velocity to speeds comparable to her own semblance, though she neglected to use it to further expedite her flight, in favor of maneuverability.

Right before impacting the Nevermore's right wing, she twisted in the air, pointing Crescent Rose to fire into her momentum, sending her into a wild spin. The girl was suddenly transformed into a crimson bladed blur, a human ban-saw. She felt the snap of bone under her scythe, and the red splatter of warm blood exploded in every direction as she fired Crescent Rose again to further the devastation of the blade's impact. The Nevermore cried out in pain, and began to dip, skimming right over the bridge, unable to do anything but flail as gravity's cruel will was done.

Ruby flipped Crescent Rose again, firing against her spin to re-orient herself. Weiss, true to her word, caught her partner with a second glyph as soon as she saw the girl's descent was under control. The scythe-wielder slammed into the platform with an echoing thud as her aura cushioned the landing to nothing more than if she'd leapt off her bunk-bed.

The burst of speed her semblance was more than enough to catapult her back toward the bridge, and for a handful of seconds, she had a nice view of the scene. Their new Ranger friends were holding the Grimm off well. In between bursts of fire, she could see Jay was, for lack of a better term, losing her goddamn mind over what she'd just witnessed, unable to contain her excitement. It was nice being appreciated, so the Huntress didn't see much harm in showing off a little more.

Her landing was complimented by Crescent Rose's blade slamming through the head of an Ursa Minor, killing the beast instantly. Ruby hefted the weapon free, sent herself flying with another shot from Crescent Rose, twirling the weapon above her, decapitating two pouncing Beowolves before bringing it to a stop through the gut of a third at the end of the swing.

Another Ursa Minor leapt in front of her as she freed her scythe, but it soon went limp as a streak of silver entered and exited the right eye of the beast in a fraction of a second. Ruby looked over to find Weiss at her side, the two now back-to-back, working in tandem, slaughtering any Grimm to get relatively near them.

The Rangers sat back, not even firing their weapons anymore, partially because they'd run dry on much of their ammunition, but mostly because there was not much point. The two teenagers had become a vortex of pure evisceration, and the Grimm seemed to have no chance. Dmitry had honestly never seen anyone fight so elegantly, so extravagantly, in his life.

Ruby's scythe never seemed to ever stop moving, always rotating in her hands or around her arms, shoulders, even her neck. It was brutal, but there was a poetry to the heavy, dismembering blows she delivered.

Weiss, on the flip-side of their coin, struck with the precision and speed of lightning, but always with a graceful, almost ethereal calmness. Her kills were quick, almost painless-looking in their rapidity. In a mass of shadow and blood, she was a beacon of white light, unmarred. Sharp, deadly, but strangely beautiful in her lethality and coldness.

Like snow, he thought. Like winter.

Suddenly, the two leapt away from their mound of unworthy dead, Ruby falling back to the Rangers, and Weiss keeping a few feet ahead. The white Huntress held forth her rapier once more, this time her colored chambers spinning within the sword's guard. It landed on red, and the blade of the rapier responded to the color in question, glowing with a scorching heat.

The remaining Grimm charged toward the quintet with unbridled ferocity despite their losses. Weiss, unafraid, thrust the sword into the bridge blade-first. In an instant, the ground in front of her was littered with blazing red glyphs. Pillars of flame erupted from below, searing the Grimm of their fur and flesh, stripping them of their muscles and bones, leaving nothing of the offending darkness. They were purged by her light.

It only lasted a scant few seconds, so intense were the flames. As they faded, the chasm fell quickly back into the natural quiet that had so gripped it when the Rangers had arrived. For a while no-one moved. The Rangers struggled to process everything they'd seen, Ruby was unsure as to whether to break the silence, and Weiss steadied herself against Myrtenaster, breathing heavily.

Jay was, unsurprisingly, the first one to speak.

"Captain, request someone punch me in the face so I know I'm not tripping balls, because that was the sickest shit I've ever seen in my life."

Ruby shyly grinned. No matter how much praise she received, she was always slightly humbled when accepting it. Dmitry gave her two thumbs up, nodding at her enthusiastically, which made her laugh sincerely. His silence so far had been funny and reassuringly confident at the same time, and strangely put her at ease.

The young Ranger noticed that Weiss had yet to move, and was still leaning against her sword. Wondering if perhaps she'd been wounded after all, he decided to check on her. He was no medic, but all Rangers were at least competent at field-care. All part of the training.

Dmitry tapped her shoulder lightly, announcing his presence. The girl flinched in surprise, but was too tired to do much else. She looked over her shoulder, and despite the mask obscuring his entire face, Weiss could sense concern.

"I'm okay," she replied curtly. "Using so many glyphs is a little draining, that's all. I'll be fine in a few minutes."

He nodded slowly in understanding. The two stood without talking for a moment until Dmitry stepped in front of her and pointed at her rapier, then gestured out at the now scorched bridge, his arms sweeping widely and grandly. He turned back to her and clapped his gloved hands together once, then pumped his fists excitedly.

Weiss fought against a grin. Dmitry seemed so strange; a coldly efficient warrior one minute, and now animated and exuberant, even in his blank silence.

"Good to know seeing a true Huntress in action was a satisfying experience."

He gave a quicker nod this time.

"Dmitry," called the Captain. Dmitry perked up at the mention of his name.

"Malik popped the beacon, he has the data. Dust-off in five. The cheer…," the Captain stopped herself and looked to Ruby, then to Weiss. "The Huntresses are coming along."

She moved to turn away, before looking back at him for a moment.

"Be a gentleman and help the lady along, would you? She looks exhausted," she suggested, heading back to the facility to meet with Malik.

"You don't ha-," Weiss was cut off as Dmitry, dutifully following his orders, plucked Weiss up without a break in his stride. For a girl strong enough to pierce a Grizzly skull with a rapier, she was shockingly light.

She hit him against the chest.

"Put me down, you moron!" she demanded.

He stopped and did so, allowing her to slide back onto her feet, which promptly wavered and caused her to fall backwards into Dmitry. He steadied her, but remained still.

She sighed in defeat, appreciating a lack of a 'see?' or an 'I told you so'.

"Fine."

Just as wordlessly as Dmitry approaching everything and everyone else, he lifted her back up, carrying her back towards the communications facility.

* * *

Dmitry still held her minutes later when the Chimera VTOL came thumping down. They had waited outside in the courtyard with Jay and Ruby, both of whom she was relatively sure were snickering together. Dmitry seemed unfazed by it, and while Weiss wanted to give them a tongue-lashing, she decided it could wait. She was feeling better, but the Ranger wasn't complaining, and she wasn't going to say no to not having to stand around.

Malik and the Captain exited the facility as the vehicle can down onto the bridge, Malik looking to Dmitry and quickly looking away. By the shaking of his shoulders, Weiss was certain he was laughing too. Again, Dmitry remained either unaware, or stoically immune to the jibe.

The Captain waved them along. The rotors of the VTOL sliced apart the mountain winds, drowning out all other sounds until they passed into the rear canopy of the craft. It was a spacious enough transport to move around ten people, so the addition of Weiss and Ruby was of no concern. Dmitry set the Huntress down in a seat near the middle of the bay, then took the seat across from her.

Captain Korva was the last one on-board, and hit the cockpit door twice before taking her seat, signaling they were ready for take-off. As they rose into the air, the Rangers began removing their masks, wanting to wipe the sweat from their brows and breathe the air freely, without an apparatus.

Ruby noted that while the age on Captain Korva's face was apparent, wrinkles forming under her eyes and the creases around her mouth deep, she swore that she was simply looking at an older Pyrrha Nikos. If the hair were just undone, and if the three facial scars, running parallel to one another up from the left of her chin, across her lips, and just barely around her eye, had not been there, she'd have been a dead-ringer for an aged Mistral Tournament Champion.

Next to her, Malik scratched at the black stubble forming around his chin and cheeks, muttering something about his beard and weeds. His hair fell over his forehead in short, curly bunches, though most of it was held back in a pony-tail. His complexion was darker than the Captain's, and his nose sharper and longer than hers, though not as wide. He was significantly younger, but quite clearly her and Weiss' elder.

"That's why I just lop all mine off," said Jay, responding to the comment of Malik's that Ruby had missed.

Jay's head was mostly devoid of hair, and her complexion was even darker than Malik's, reminding her of Blake in that regard. Her face was hard and defined, a strong jaw with angular features and high cheekbones. Combined with her height, and obvious physical strength, she looked to be carved right out of the mountains they'd fought on. Ruby guessed she was about the same age as Malik, though these were just that, guesses.

Meanwhile, Weiss unconsciously stared straight ahead as the mask fell from Dmitry's face. He took a deep breath as the straps binding it to his face came undone, opening his blue eyes wide. The Ranger was easily the youngest of the four, Weiss swearing he was barely older than her. His face was soft, with a round-tipped nose, prominent dimples, and a light, pale complexion; hardly the face she imagined would be attached to the soldier methodically swatting aside Grimm only minutes before, though as she remembered his silent antics before and after, suddenly it seemed to suit him. His hair was short, and a drab brown color, messily falling in wild strands around his head, which he swiped a hand through, hoping perhaps to sweep it back, but it refused and fell back into its disordered formation.

He questioningly raised his eyebrows at her, and for the first time realized she was staring straight at him. She averted her eyes immediately.

"Your hair is a mess," she commented.

Dmitry put another hand through it to no avail, to which he shrugged apologetically.

"It's not the end of the world, moron. Don't worry about it," she said, not battling against the faint grin this time.

"Where are we headed exactly?" asked Ruby, directed at Captain Korva.

"To Kotova, Field Master Zhukov is there, as well as Major General Duff," she replied. "We're to report our findings at the communications facility to them, which includes the data and you two. I'm sure they'll want to hear about how you came to be there, and your…whatever it was you did to that Blackbird. Before you ask, no, you're not being taken prisoner. I doubt we'd be able to hold you even if you were. We just want to figure out what happened there."

Ruby nodded slowly. "We'll help, but we need help too. I'd like to figure out what's going on too, and there are two more of my team, I think they're here. I need to find them, and something tells me we're pretty far from home."

The Captain smiled, a smile Dmitry had never seen from her before. It was almost motherly.

"I don't know what I can promise, but I'll do all I can."

Ruby nodded. Under the circumstances it could have been worse.

"Thank you."

* * *

**From _Frontier Soldiers _(2074), by Laura Hiroyuki**

_There is historical debate over when exactly the Rangers formed, as there are multiple stages of the organization's history in which the argument could be made that what we now know today as the Rangers came to be. The Rangers of the modern post-war era are known as a Special Mission Unit prioritized with anti-Grimm activity, both reconnaissance and direct-action, beyond the walls, which semi-autonomously operates under the United Nations Special Army Service (UNSAS), itself under the authority of the United Nations Special Operations Command (UNSOCOM). This, however, is a far-cry from their original incarnation._

_The origins of the Rangers are mostly shrouded in mystery, as there is debate among even the organization itself as to when and where it truly began, and with whom. All that is known for sure is that they first appeared in central Russia sometime early after the Grimm incursion of 2018, and supposedly rallied behind an almost mythical figure, a woman only called Shashka. This woman was reportedly the first Field Master of the Rangers, or the prototypical equivalent. She has been elevated to a folk-hero status, and while the Rangers of Site 5 claim to possess her original sword (a Shashka, for which she was named) with her blood still staining it, as her true name and identity have never reliably been proven, the evidence is suspect, and since their merger with the UNDF, with many new Rangers being former regular army, belief in this old figure has waned to all but the oldest Rangers and their followers._

_The Rangers definitively began as a scattering of ex-military personnel, survivors of early Grimm attacks, and those generally who lacked faith in the Russian national military's ability to stem the Grimm advance –as this was where much of the most intense fighting of the war took place– and wanted to take matters into their own hands._

_The Rangers fought on the frontier and beyond the front lines of the Grimm infestation, rescuing those left behind in military evacuations, tracking Grimm movements, securing abandoned or lost supplies, even defending small towns from the Grimm in the absence of government soldiers, and later providing eyes-on-the-ground reconnaissance and pathfinding for the newly formed UNDF. It was not uncommon, and indeed quite usually the case, for individuals as young as fifteen or sixteen to be accepted into the ranks of the Rangers. There was no uniform training in their early days of operation, and so young Rangers would shadow older, more experienced comrades, and learn as sorts of apprentices._

_It wasn't until after the war ended that they began to mass-coordinate and centralize, but it wasn't until 2058, when the Rangers formally joined with the UNDF, taking advantage of the international military's funds and logistical support, and making some operational concessions, that they took on their current formation. While they were allowed to maintain their internal command structure, wider acceptance standards, and unorthodox regime of an intense initiation, their apprenticeship was replaced by a detailed four-year long training process, during which modern Rangers learn a wide variety of skills, the dispersal being widely at their discretion. Anything; linguistic skills, demolitions and EOD, aerial and aquatic insertion, Grimm physiology and studies, defensive driving, scouting, sharpshooting, armor certification, medical training, piloting, engineering, computer science, CQC and various martial arts, anything to make them the most versatile and adaptable soldiers on the battlefield, adhering almost religiously to the idea of being jacks of all trades, and masters of none._

_History has thus far proven it is indeed better than a master of one._

* * *

**I try to avoid Author's Notes, so I'll make this short. I'd like this story to be the best it can be, provided people find it interesting. I heavily encourage anyone who has read this to notify me of any errors, inconsistencies, or general shortcomings you find, or feel you've found.**

**If you have any questions or comments that you feel don't belong on the Review page, feel free to message me.  
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**I have no upload schedule, so if you particularly enjoyed this, then I would suggest following it, or me. This is very much a project I've started for fun, so it will be put on the back-burner in the event that "life" happens, but at the moment I foresee no problems.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2: With All Due Respect

"_Why is it whenever someone says "with  
all due respect", they really mean "kiss  
my ass"?_

–_Ashley Williams, Mass Effect 1_

**Chapter 2: With All Due Respect**

Kotova was a mess, but a mess that rested firmly in UNDF hands. Their South-Eastward approach from the mountains was met with an escort three kilometers outside the city perimeter. Most of the trip had been spent with the rear-hatch locked up tight, but their approach to UNDF temporary headquarters afforded them their first view of the city. Much of the skyline was shrouded in smoke, and the flicker of sparks that could be called fires danced far below them. Cars were abandoned in the street, which left the major roadways clogged, and forced the troops to either work their way around, or plow the vehicles out of the way to reach their destinations. The military had yet to mop up all the Grimm within the city-limits, but the air-space was secured.

There were still echoes of explosions from shells or missiles that resounded somewhere off in the indeterminable distance as the Chimera came in for a landing atop one of the taller buildings on the Kotova skyline. Saber Team, as well as their newfound compatriots, were for the moment, out of harm's way. They each of them knew that would not last.

A soldier rushed to meet the departing Rangers and their guests. He was not at all like Saber Team, Ruby and Weiss noted. He lacked their coats, obviously, and his gear was far more bulky; more pads and semi-metallic plates –which were all a real-time, digitally generated mesh of grays and light blues- covered his torso and limbs than the Rangers, who were sleek and nimble looking in comparison. His helmet and visor covered his head and eyes, but his lower face was visible.

"Captain, ma'am," he snapped with a rigid discipline. "This way, the Major General is waiting for you downstairs."

"Thank you, Corporal," replied Korva with the same military-brand courtesy. The Captain tagged behind their one man welcome-wagon, and the rest followed closely behind as they descended the rooftop stairs into the well upholstered and elegantly business oriented interior of the tower.

"Is Field Master Zhukov here as well," questioned Korva.

The Corporal nodded from ahead.

"He is, ma'am. He's in the command room with the General."

"Good," she muttered to herself.

The tower, which had obviously been some sort of corporate office building before the attack started, was now transformed into a make-shift UNDF military command. Desks and cubicles had been cleared, now stacked with portable computers or supply crates. Officers rushed to compare intel, re-check the status of the city, coordinate civilian defense, and in contrast, the encountered enlisted troops stood dutifully at guard, ready to repel any unforeseen threat.

For Ruby and Weiss, is was all such an alien sight. The only kingdom that maintained a ready, standing army was Atlas, and they were very, very clearly not in Atlas. On top of that, the vast majority of the Atlesian military was comprised of mass-produced mechanized infantry, supported by larger, armored walkers and their massive airships. Both of those aspects were, so far as they'd seen, absent from the UNDF repertoire of tactics.

VTOLs they had, and their small-group infantry were impressive if Saber Team were any indication. It was not a stretch to assume they had larger armored vehicles and fast-attack craft too, considering the escort they'd received on their approach, and the sounds that had been polluting the city's air as they landed. Overall, they were similar in overall structure to the Atlesians, and clearly had an applicable understanding of asymmetrical warfare, but the larger, flashier technologies were nowhere to be seen, and were replaced by a much more hands-on, human-oriented rank-and-file composition.

The other, far more concerning fact however –one that they had not even considered to investigate until just that moment, were the Huntsman and Huntresses. Rather, that they were suspiciously not present. Korva had explained on the flight to Kotova that they were in a state of emergency, that the region was experiencing a large Grimm incursion and that the facility they were in –that they had inadvertently helped destroy, if they were connecting the dots correctly, had been meant to be their warning system. It had been beyond their control, at least that was what they told themselves, but the two couldn't help but mentally take responsibility.

Even in a military power like Atlas, however, in the event of an emergency as serious as what was now happening around them, the Huntsman and Huntresses would be answering the call, fighting in the streets, coordinating with officials, helping evacuation; there was none of that in Kotova. The military had apparently been doing an admirable job of those on their own, and the Rangers had proven quite apt at the killing of Grimm, but where were their Hunters? Where were their heroes in their people's time of need?

"Right through here, ma'am. They're waiting, so go right on through," said the Corporal, snapping the girls out of their contemplations. Korva nodded to the young man as he walked off to attend to other duties.

The Captain bent down slightly, whispering to the Huntresses.

"I would advise you not to speak unless directly spoken to. The Field Master is a good man, but I've…we've dealt with the Major General before," spoke the elder Ranger, a look of distaste present at the mention of the General.

Weiss and Ruby nodded in compliance, and Korva led her team through to a conference room situated securely in the center of the building, four floors down from the roof. The conference room itself was dimmed to near total darkness, illuminated only by the glow of monitors, and a real-time holographic hexagonal-grid display of the city and the surrounding areas. For all the equipment that littered the room, its occupants only included two people.

The first was a tall, old man, completely bald, and, if he had to be summed up, physically looked as though he were falling apart at the seams. That was to say, he was so heavily scarred and battered that it seemed to Ruby that he should scarcely be alive. He wore the same brown coat as Saber Team, which led the Huntresses to the conclusion that he too was a Ranger, and was most likely Field Master Zhukov. However, "coat" was too generous a term for the ragged piece of cloth draped over his shoulder. So torn, ripped, and stitched back together was it, that one could hardly make out the always unique adornments that the Rangers were so fond of.

His face was two completely different shades of pigmentation, his left side stark white, which upon closer inspection was in fact not skin at all, but a polymer graft that had replaced a missing chunk of flesh all together. The eye of the same side was also artificial, and glowed with a dull, pulsating red hue.

The man next to him could not have been more opposite the Field Master. He was of a significantly shorter build, though not quite as short as Malik, who would still only reach about his nose. He had a full head of fiery red hair swept to one side, which descended into a scraggly, short beard. His uniform was an olive green, and pristine, medals and commendations gleaming in and reflecting the artificial light. A hat sat atop his head, the same shade as his uniform, and two stars were pinned to both it, and to each of his shoulders.

With Field Master Zhukov identified, it stood to reason that the officer was Major General Duff.

"Captain Korva," greeted Zhukov in a gravely but welcoming voice.

"Captain," said Duff, much more formally, and with a sharp chill to the word that made it seem hostile underneath the civil guise. His accent was new, different than that of Korvas, Malik's or Jay's, Ruby noted.

The Captain, as well as the rest of Saber, snapped rigid and saluted. Ruby and Weiss could not help but feel the gesture was one of grudging appeasement, rather than respect or discipline. They could see the disapproving frowns on the edges of Malik and Jay's lips.

"At ease," said Zhukov. "I trust your investigation bore fruit, Captain?"

Korva nodded. "It did, Field Master. We managed to retrieve the last readings and footage from the array before it went offline. It should give us an idea of what happened to the wall."

"What of the array itself? Did you determine what caused it to fail?" asked General Duff.

To that question, Korva hesitated.

"Yes and no, sir. I believe our guests would be able to shed at least some light on what occurred."

"Guests?"

Korva turned and waved for Weiss and Ruby to come forward. The two shuffled past Dmitry, who eyed the both of them with no small amount of concern, and came to stand to Korva's side.

Both the General and Field Master had a look of blank confusion on their faces.

"Captain," said Duff, still staring at the girls as though Korva were parading around a pair of juggling clowns through his command center. "Explanation?"

"Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose," she replied simply. "I realize, General, how unorthodox this is, but these two girls –Huntresses, were present at the facility before we were, and they are…proficient in combating the Grimm, to say the least. We brought them back in hopes that they would be able to expound further on the events that took place in the mountains, and they are searching for two missing members of their team."

Zhukov looked to be fighting off a grin as Duff leaned over the conference table and sighed. He shook his head as the Field Master's mirth only increased.

Korva looked between her two superior officers, feeling as though she were missing a joke.

"Sirs?"

Zhukov continued to nod in amusement.

"We'd been getting sporadic reports for the last three hours, since committing forces to the advance toward the wall," explained Duff. "Lead recon elements of the 3rd Assault Brigade have been closing in on the breach, working a plan to seal it. They'd been calling in reports of previously observed large concentrations of Grimm seemingly dropping dead in the field, until about twenty minutes ago."

"The last report mentioned making contact with two strangely dressed young women, who later identified themselves as Huntresses, and who, quoted from a Specialist Young, _"were killing Grimm like it was an Olympic-fucking-event, and they were aiming for gold," _chimed in Zhukov.

"We _thought_ it was a joke," exclaimed the General. "Evidence to the contrary, however, seems to have been delivered to our door. Leave it to the Rangers to make my life difficult."

There was an unusual and awkward silence that hung in the room as the General recomposed himself, and Zhukov continued to smile like Christmas had come early. Duff sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'll have the data you recovered looked at, and as much as I would like to have these young ladies questioned regarding their involvement in this god-forsaken mess, and your team properly de-briefed, we've far too much on our plates at the moment. The questions can wait until this crisis is averted, and I need Saber in the field again ASAP."

"What do you need us to do?" Korva asked.

"Re-arm and re-supply, then you and your team will be linking up with the 3rd Assault Brigade. You're going to help them seal the breach; they'll be able to give you a more detailed, step-by-step idea of what they need from you. When you're ready, head back to the roof, your Chimera VTOL will be arriving shortly for you," the General explained.

The Captain stepped forward, arms folded behind her and chin held high.

"General, request permission to bring the Huntresses."

The General stopped, and while retaining an outwardly composed posture, seemed to exude a desire to throw the conference table through the wall and out the adjacent window.

"With all due respect to you and your…companions, Captain, we have enough teenagers running around our warzone."

Captain Korva's expression hardened in response to his disregard.

"If they're anything compared to their counterparts in the reports, they could be useful in sealing the breach," noted Zhukov. "I would suggest granting the Captains request."

Duff turned to the Field Master with a scowl.

"And if this were a Ranger operation, you would be free to endanger the lives of these _children_ in whichever far-flung corner of this Earth you saw fit, but this is a UNDF command, Zhukov. _My_ command. You are here as a courtesy, and not one that I had wanted extended to begin with."

"With _all due respect, _General," replied Korva, fighting with everything she had not to growl out the words. "The two _Huntresses_ are the only reason my team made it back from the Urals at all, and if the rest of their team is with the 3rd Assault, then it would make them far more cooperative if we brought Ms. Rose and Schnee along. They may have further intelligence on the breach that they would be more willing to divulge to us if we showed good faith."

General Duff massaged his temples, his face tinging red ever so slightly. Ruby and Weiss had not been blind to the awkward tension that had existed between the Rangers and the General, and clearly there was history that they were not privy to. Saber Team had proven to be trustworthy, and so far had held their word, and the Field Master seemed amiable. The General, however, was not giving them the best impression of the UNDF.

"Rangers," he hissed. "Put on your damn coats, hide behind your masks, and suddenly you think you can do whatever you please and not face consequences."

"I've made it no secret I don't agree with more than a few of your operational practices; your training is barbaric, your discipline is lacking, your acceptance standards are…questionable," he said, making no effort to hide the fact that he was looking at Dmitry. It was that moment, with those words, that cemented Ruby and Weiss' disdain for General Duff.

"But UNDCOM knows you're all too damn useful to risk pushing away."

The General himself was turned away, hands held behind his back. He was silent for a few moments.

"Your objective is unchanged," he warmed. "If these Huntresses of yours interfere in any way with the sealing of that wall, the lives it costs will be on your shoulders, Captain, and if the Grimm don't bury you, then I will. Are we clear?"

"Crystal, sir."

As if lives on her shoulders were anything new.

"Dismissed," he spat.

* * *

Weiss found herself staring daggers out the window as she mentally ran through all that had happened in the conference room, glaring out at the skyline as though it were the cause of her outrage. She, Ruby, and the remainder of Saber stood in the UNDF headquarters' ad-hoc armory as Captain Korva discussed something with Field Master Zhukov, who had followed them out of the conference room. She couldn't tell what they were discussing, and frankly didn't care. She was much more content to stand by and practice telepathically assaulting the unfeeling buildings across from her.

Ruby was standing some distance off with Jay and Malik, explaining some of the specifics of Crescent Rose's operations and mechanisms as the two exchanged their weapons for arms more appropriate for front-line combat. They were quite impressed upon learning that she'd built it from scratch, and Malik actually took notes, trading engineering jargon with the young leader that she couldn't hope to decipher. The only member of their troop missing from her sight was Dmitry, which was unsurprising as he was easily the quietest person she'd ever encountered with the exception of perhaps Roman Torchwick's companion, Neo.

Now that she was consciously aware of his absence however, she couldn't help but wonder where he was, amidst her passionate door-hatred.

A sudden waving hand taking up most of her view answered that question easily enough. A past, less experienced Weiss would have jumped at the surprise. As it was, she merely snapped her head to the left, seeing the deceptively youthful Ranger looking down at her with a face that she could well enough piece together as questioning her current actions.

"Don't mind me," she insisted. "It's nothing."

He stepped in front of her, arms crossed. Dmitry wasn't buying it, which she couldn't blame him for, as she was not doing a particularly good job of hiding her frustration.

She sighed. "It's just, the nerve of that General. Talking about you li –you all, like that."

Weiss inwardly cringed, hoping he would glance over the slip of her tongue, which to her relief he did. He gave what was frequently becoming a predictable, Dmitry shrug. She puffed out another agitated breath and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms. Dmitry joined her, mirroring her position.

"I appreciate your team fighting to let us come," she admitted. "Ruby and I have been quite worried about our teammates. It's good to know they're alright at least, but I'm relieved to be seeing them soon."

Dmitry smiled at her, but waved casually into the air. A clear "it's nothing, don't worry about it" gesture.

"You'll like them, I think," she continued. "Blake is quiet as well, so you two will probably hit it off just fine, and Yang has never had trouble making friends with people. I think she'll appreciate your team's enthusiasm for killing Grimm."

He kept on grinning, and pressed his fist into his open palm half-playfully.

"Dmitry, if you don't mind my asking, and I don't mean to imply that your team hasn't been immensely helpful, but where are your people's Huntsman and Huntresses? Ruby and I have noticed that, for all your military might, you seem to have no Hunters about, and your General spoke as if he didn't even know what they were."

Dmitry shook his head. Weiss felt she was quite good at working out what Dmitry meant through his body-language, expressions, and various pantomiming, –a useful skill developed from a long childhood of etiquette training, and gauging her father's easily swayed and deceptive moods- but in this case, a simple shake of the head was not sufficient enough of an answer. She shot him a half-flustered look.

"Does that mean no, you don't know where they are, or no, you have none?"

The Ranger responded by holding up two fingers to clarify. Two, second answer. It wasn't that their Huntsman were not around, it was that they simply had none. If that were the case, then it would explain, partially at least, why everyone found her and Ruby so odd.

"Dmitry," she pried further. "Do you know what an aura is?"

Again, he shook his head.

"Semblance?"

He was about to shake his head a third time, but then halted, and traced a circle in the air with his finger, then shot many invisible lines out from it, before pointing to her. It took her a moment, but then she realized, it was a glyph. He was asking if glyphs were her semblance. It was either very perceptive of him, or a very lucky guess. Who could really tell with the silent Ranger?

"Yes, Dmitry, those glyphs were my semblance," she answered, quietly proud that he'd picked up on it. "Ruby's is her speed. The rest of our team has them as well. They're…well, still not common where we come from, but far more commonplace than here I would guess."

He nodded in understanding, then pointed to her again, following with a twirl of his index finger upward, which gave her the impression of searching for a location. He was asking, she grasped, where she was from.

"I was born in the Kingdom of Atlas, to the far north, but I attend school in the Kingdom of Vale with Ruby," she said, turning to look to her leader, still goofing around with Malik and Jay as Korva continued to discuss something with the Field Master.

"We've been on the same team together for over a year now. I wish I could say this was the craziest adventure we've ever been on."

She turned back to Dmitry, who had moved to a nearby table, accessing something on an unused portable computer. Confused, Weiss followed, and looked over his shoulder at what he was looking up. He pulled up a map of Kotova, and then, slowly, began scrolling back. And back. And back.

The world around her suddenly opened up before her eyes, and revealed to her a fear that had been present at the back of her mind for some time, but one she refused to acknowledge. One that she played off as sheer delusion, and impossibility. After a certain distance, the map read 'Russian Federation' in bold lettering. The nation was absolutely massive, almost as large as the whole of Vytal if she had to guess, but Dmitry continued to scroll out, bringing more of the world into view. Other names began to crop out. Kazakhstan to south, the European Union to the west, the North American Cooperative across a vast ocean, The People's Republic of China, the North African Alliance, the United Kingdom, which had a smaller but still bold label beneath that read UNDCOM.

Weiss had to struggle not to stumble back. She had assumed, rightfully so, given her circumstances, that regardless of the strange sights and people surrounding them, they were still on Remnant. This revelation shattered that preconception. Her mind raced with a thousand possible, more logical explanations, but none of them seemed probable. Was this a trick? Why? What would anyone gain from making her think she were not any longer on Remnant? Besides, who could just casually fake a warzone? Who could build a fake military, a fake city, a fake map of a fake world, and then present it all in a convincing manner? No one, was the obvious answer.

On top of that, Dmitry would not lie to her. He seemed many things to Weiss, but dishonest, deceptive, those were not words she would associate with him. They were not on Remnant anymore. For whatever reason, however it had happened, it was now a reality she, and in time, the rest of her team, would have to face.

Weiss looked to Ruby, but decided not to say anything to her. They were about to be deployed to an even more important mission, and it wouldn't do to have their team leader weighed down by the knowledge. She would talk to them about it, but after their job was complete. After they were whole again. Until then, she would bear the burden herself.

Dmitry watched her intently, trying to gauge her mood. It was clear to him that, in showing her the map, he had made her uncomfortable, and promptly closed down the computer. He stood up, stepping toward her, but she waved him off.

"I'm alright," she said. "It's just…hard to explain. I suppose I just now realized how far from home I really am."

The Ranger continued to look at her, his expression growing solemn, and mentally kicked himself. He'd not meant for his curiosity to upset her. Weiss sensed his distress.

"It's okay, Dmitry. It's not your fault; I've dealt with worse, I'll be fine. There's just a lot more my team will have to talk about when we finally get back together, and finish with this madness."

Dmitry nodded. He pointed to Weiss, then to himself, and then clasped his hands together, finishing with a thumbs up and a smile.

"We're in this together, huh?" she smirked.

He nodded again.

"Well, I suppose that's enough."

* * *

"Those two seem to be hitting it off well," noted Jay, looking over to Weiss and Dmitry, standing next to each other against the wall across from them.

Ruby was admiring the vast array of weapons and ammunition the UNDF had to offer, but still retained her place in the conversation.

"Weiss isn't good at first impressions, but she's nice if you get to know her," she explained. "Dmitry seems pretty patient. I wonder what they're talking about."

Jay snorted. "Given that it's D, probably not much."

"Lay off the kid," said Malik. "He's fine. He wouldn't be the first Ranger with an odd quirk or two."

"Hey, you know I like D just fine," she insisted. "Nice guy, and as a Ranger, he's top-notch for a rookie, I just wish he'd talk to us more than not at all. Sometimes he just stares at you, and it freaks me out a little."

Malik shrugged as he fiddled with a carbine.

"It's just the way he is, Jay. He's got our backs in the field, and he doesn't cause trouble, so he's alright in my book."

The objects of their discussion deserted their position and passed behind a rack of weapons, out of sight. With their disappearance, the conversation ebbed along a different path.

"So, I have a question," chimed in Ruby.

"We've probably got an answer," replied Malik playfully.

Ruby looked down, thinking about how best to phrase the question.

"It's just, I noticed that when I showed you Crescent Rose, back in the mountains, you said something in a different language, Malik. Then I started to think about how you, and Jay, and the Captain all talk differently, and the General talked differently too. I also noticed the writing on the walls in this building is different than the writing in that base, and the ones on everything the UNDF is carrying around. I was just wondering about all that."

"You wanna know why we all speak English, basically," summarized Jay.

Was that what they called it? In Vale it was called Vytali, the language spoken by the people from Vale and Vaccuo. Ever since the Kingdoms of Remnant united, they adopted Vytali as a sort of international language, since half the kingdoms already spoke it, and it was a popular trade-language. Atlas and Mistral had their own native tongues, but for purposes of inter-kingdom relations and cooperation, Vytali was commonly used, and in some cases, like being a Huntsman or Huntress, required.

Ruby supposed it wasn't so much of a stretch that other people used it, even if she hadn't heard of them. Remnant had its share of wanderers, nomadic tribes that chanced the unforgiving wilds, many of whom were from Vytal. They could easily have brought the language to…well, wherever exactly they were in the world. Ruby hadn't gotten a look at a large enough map –If these people even had a complete world map.

The kingdoms had "discovered" all the major land formations, but much of Remnant's actual land, especially those not housing any of the kingdoms, were largely unexplored and unmapped, save for their coasts to aid in the sailing of ship. The Grimm made it dangerous to go anywhere beyond the borders of the kingdoms, to say nothing of the supposedly uninhabited island continents. That, combined with the fact that it simply would not be cost effective to launch expeditions for seemingly no gain, and the natural world of Remnant was largely a mystery.

With that all in mind, Ruby nodded.

"Well," began Malik. "When the UNDF formed fifty-five years ago, it was decided it needed a common language, since people from all over the place would be working together. The nations that put in most of the funding, provided most of the troops, and supplied most of the logistical support all spoke English, and had sway in the UN Security Council. When the Rangers hopped aboard twenty years back, it was the same deal. We worked with the UNDF, so Rangers had to speak English. It was kind of a sore subject back in the day, but most UNDF don't care now. It's just part of the job."

"That's another thing I don't get," said Ruby. "Are Rangers and the UNDF the same thing? The General was ordering you around like you were his soldiers, but you all seem so different than the rest of them."

Malik and Jay both chuckled.

"It really depends on who you ask," said Malik. "The UNDF will say yes, the Rangers will say no. Neither are right or wrong."

The answer wasn't really what Ruby was looking for, and only served to confuse her more. Jay picked up on it, and decided to clarify for her.

"Basically, with everything going to hell in a hamster-ball, the UNDF get to tell us Rangers what to do; they have jurisdiction. Normally, the Rangers are left alone and we do whatever we think we should be doing, and the UNDF stays the hell out of our way, but in emergencies we defer to their command structure, which mean, yeah, the General can order us around, and there isn't much Field Master Zhukov can do about it. The Major General technically outranks him."

"Normally rank doesn't mean much to us Rangers," added Malik. "We have a team leader, group leader than handles the deployment of certain teams, base commander to administrate everything, and a Field Master that's pretty much in charge of everyone, but other than that, we're all pretty equal. We don't have distinctions between privates and corporals and specialists, or 1st and 2nd lieutenants, things like that."

"Technically," he continued. "Even though Dmitry only joined the Rangers a few months ago, he's got the same authority as us, and we've been Rangers for a few years. The ranks come in thanks to the UNDF; they need a ranked designation for us, but since they don't want us getting ordered around by every sergeant and gunny with an errand to run, they made us 2nd lieutenants by default. Same with the Captain, she's team leader so they gave her the Captain's rank. It has a pretty good ring to it though. "

Ruby sighed and plopped down on the bench next to them, Crescent Rose laying in her lap. The talk of ranks and the UNDF brought her thoughts back to the words that had been exchanged between the Rangers and the Major General. The power dynamics of this place seemed to run deep, and long, and they made little sense in Ruby's opinion. The Rangers seemed to have a better system, similar to the Hunters, but it was muddled by the UNDF.

"I don't like him," she muttered. "The General, I mean."

"Good," said Jay. "We'd be worried if you did."

"Captain Korva said you'd dealt with him before, what did she mean by that?"

"Long story," said Malik. "It's more like a couple of times. He's been breathing down the Ranger's necks ever since he became regional commander. I'm not quite sure why he's got it out for us, but he, Korva, and Zhukov have some sort of history, and I'm not curious or suicidal enough to shake that wasp's nest."

As soon as answers came, more mysteries and questions came to take their place, it seemed. Ruby sincerely wished there was time to sit and comprehend it all, but there were a million other things to consider and focus on, and her curiosity was not one of them.

* * *

"That went better than I expected," said Zhukov, standing at the end of the hallway, outside the armory. Korva was staring out a nearby window. She knew he'd follow them out –that he'd wanted to talk. Zhukov always did love talking, almost more than being a Ranger.

"Which part of that went well to you, exactly?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the window, not particularly staring at anything. She was more looking at the glass itself, seeing Zhukov in its transparent reflection.

She saw him shrug.

"You didn't shoot each other, which is what I was expecting," he joked.

Korva found it less funny.

"He's even worse than I remember," she muttered.

"You say that every time," he pointed out.

"Because every time it's true."

Zhukov shook his head. Every time Korva and Duff met, it was the same song and dance between them. If Korva had been anyone else, Zhukov was sure by now that Duff would've already had their heads on the chopping block.

"Just seal up the wall," said Zhukov. "The sooner you get that done, the sooner he leaves."

She nodded.

Realizing the discussion regarding the Major General was now officially closed, and any attempt at re-opening it would be bad for his health, Zhukov chose the next best topic of conversation.

"Those girls, those Huntresses. You seem quite convinced they're something special. Tell me, are those report of ours accurate? I assume you've seen them in action."

For the first time since heading downstairs, Korva felt comfortable enough to turn away from the window and look directly at Zhukov.

"They're unbelievable," she said. "I'm not even sure how to describe what I saw, but they were untouchable. They killed a Blackbird by themselves, Zhukov, and apparently it wasn't an isolated incident either. Those girls kept pace with my Rangers like they'd been built from birth for this, like they'd been fighting Grimm out of the womb. If the rest of their team holds half a candle to what they can do, I almost feel sorry for those beasts."

"That's high praise, coming from a twenty-five year veteran. Can I ask your impression of them? Not their fighting ability, I mean do you think they were involved in this? This debacle we find ourselves in?" he questioned.

Korva sighed, trying to find a way to convey her mix of skepticism and suspicion.

"I think they are, but I don't think they intended to be. If you're asking if I think they sabotaged that facility, then I would have to say no. I did at first, but their actions up to now make me think otherwise; they do seem genuinely lost and confused about what's happening. I can't deny that they fit into this puzzle somewhere, but I don't think their intentions are malicious. The little red one, Ruby, is quite honest, I can see it in her eyes. Ms. Schnee seems to have latched onto Lieutenant Petrakov."

Zhukov nodded in understanding.

"That's good enough for me, then," he concluded. "Once this whole mess is cleared up, the General will likely have a lot of questions for them. I can't really spare them that, but afterwards, they're welcome back at Site-5. They've made themselves friends of the Rangers –the Rangers will be friends to them."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate that," she replied, looking to the door of the armory. "I should gear up, we need to leave soon."

"Of course. Be safe, Tasha."

* * *

Dmitry was sliding extra clips for his T-40 into his combat-vest when the Captain walked through the door. Malik and Jay glanced at her as she came in, as he did, but none of them were brave enough to stare, let alone try to investigate what she'd been talking to the Field Master about. Even Dmitry, having only been on the team a few months, was aware that their commanding officer had some nebulous past involving the Field Master and the Major General. Malik and Jay had warned him about as much before their mission-briefing on the mountain facility. It was a tender subject, and Dmitry made a note to avoid it, not that it would be difficult.

Korva silently began gathering ammunition for her own T-40, and added an under-slung shotgun attachment, collecting shells for the sub-weapon as well. The rest of Saber exchanged unsure looks.

"Will we be heading out soon?" asked Ruby, breaking the silence the Rangers were hesitant to pierce.

The Captain nodded. "If everyone is re-supplied, we'll leave now. Saber?"

The Rangers snapped to attention in an instant, Jay and Malik replying with a stern "ma'am", and Dmitry saluting. It was an unusually formal response from the Rangers. Korva could tell her team was now walking on eggshells around her, ever since her confrontation with the General. That wouldn't do, she needed to re-establish the norm.

"Dmitry, good, you've kept it light," she said, pointing out his sparse gear –only his ammo and weapons, whatever was attached to his armor by default, and maybe a few energy bars. "The saved energy will come in handy if we need you to carry Ms. Schnee off into the sunset again."

Malik, Jay and Ruby all snickered at that, but Dmitry nodded dutifully, the joke either flying over his head, or as Weiss had surmised earlier, he just took jabs well. This only made the three laugh more. Weiss, who had been sitting with her legs crossed on a bench next to Dmitry, was red, though it was hard to tell if it was from embarrassment or lividness. Korva grinned to herself –good, laughter was good.

"And you two," she continued. "Try to keep pace with the teenage girls this time. They're already one Blackbird and about a dozen Grizzlies ahead of you."

Dmitry made a silent 'O' face at the remark, and Jay grinned knowingly.

"Now them sounds like fightin' words, Captain," she chuckled.

"Save it for the Grimm, you'll have plenty of opportunities to redeem yourselves," Korva smiled back.

The Captain slid a magazine into her assault rifle.

"Come on, we've got a breach to seal, and a team of superheroes to re-unite."

Jay shook her head as she stood. "No rest for the Rangers."

Saber and the half of team RWBY began filing out of the armory, Dmitry being the last in the line. Korva stopped him at the door before he was able to step through. He looked to her, worried perhaps he'd done something wrong.

"Dmitry," she said, in a softer tone than he was used to. "Joking aside, I don't want what the General said in the conference room to get to you. Your silence is your choice."

"No matter what this says," she said, pointing to his well-maintained coat, and then pointing to his throat. "Or what this does not, you've proven your place on Saber. You belong here."

The General's words had not hurt Dmitry as much as everyone seemed to think they did. He'd grown accustomed to people being untrusting of his silence, assuming he was less capable because of it. He'd learned long ago to ignore such talk, and simply do what was required, letting opinions come later. Still, it was nice to know his friends cared about how he felt, and were willing to defend him against undue harshness.

He smiled back at her, hoping to convey his gratitude, and nodded.

* * *

The sky had grown overcast since the group had arrived in Kotova, and it was now drizzling down in the annoying gray area between actual rain and clear air. As such, there was a certain chill that had been pleasantly absent before. The Ranger's thick layers protected them from this, and while Weiss and Ruby looked as though they should have been cold, they denied a change of clothes before leaving, insisting they would be fine. Dmitry guessed it had something to do with their auras, as Weiss had expounded further upon it while he was gearing up.

It sounded fantastic, literally. If he hadn't seen them in action before-hand, he would have believed her to be telling tales, but he could not deny their strange power. A projection of the soul that protected you from harm, increased your strength, your speed, your reflexes, gave you amazing powers; if only the Rangers had such gifts! Dmitry could only scarcely imagine the training it took to master abilities such as that, let alone that they were still in training as far as she had divulged. The thought of a fully-fledged Huntress was a terrifying one.

'_Ranger Team Saber, this is Viper 3-18 on approach,' _cracked a voice through their ear-pieces. Weiss and Ruby looked up to the sky along with the Rangers, having been given comm equipment of their own, along with a few elbow and knee guards, just as an extra precaution.

"Copy, Viper 3-18, we're awaiting your touchdown at the landing-pad," replied Captain Korva.

The Chimera VTOL descended from the sky only a few seconds later. It reminded Ruby of a Bullhead, though it was the same drab gray and green as everything else in the UNDF, and the dust-thrusters were replaced by rotors, there instead being two fixed-point thrusters just above the tail-end stabilizer. The vehicle was also much more angular than a Bullhead, which had a rounder, rotund appearance.

'_All aboard,'_ greeted the pilot, just barely skimming the surface of the pad, but not quite landing.

Jay hopped on first, followed by Malik, then Ruby, then Korva. Dmitry jumped up next, then turned to offer a helping hand to Weiss, only to find she'd jumped up right next to him. He immediately retracted his hand, a disappointed expression behind his mask, which he and the rest of Saber had re-donned. Weiss was aware of what he'd intended, and smiled apologetically. Normally she would have ignored such a gesture, but Dmitry was so unabashedly nice and polite about everything, she felt bad for the unintentional disregard.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "But thank you. It was gentlemanly of you to offer."

"Oh, D knows what the ladies like," commented Jay from the back of the canopy, in a mock-seductive tone.

Weiss looked as though she wanted to say something, but elected to instead take her seat across from Dmitry in silence.

"That's enough, Jay," warned Korva. "We have more important things to focus on right now. Save the jokes for the victory party."

"Ma'am," she conceded.

The Captain hit the hatch to the cockpit twice, as she'd done before when they left the mountains, and the familiar feeling of the ground falling away beneath them took hold.

"So what's the plan when we get out there?" asked Malik.

"We do as the General ordered. We link up with the 3rd Assault Brigade, and we help them close up that breach. If we're able to locate the rest of your team, Ruby, we'll collect them first before moving onto the wall. They'll be a huge help, I'm sure."

"They will be," Ruby assured them. "Yang's even stronger than me, and Blake is probably the next fastest. We'll get them to help."

The canopy hatch groaned closed as Kotova's cityscape rushed past them. They were headed back out into the fray again, re-armed, but facing more danger than before. They each could only hope that the 3rd Brigade, and the remainder of team RWBY, would be enough to turn the tide, and seal the breach. If they failed, Kotova would never be safe, and neither would the rest of the region.

* * *

**Excerpt from _United History_ (vol.3 7th Edition) by Daniel Parson and Joong Ki-yoon**

_The United Nations Defense Force was founded in 2023, and intended to be a new era in global-scale collective defense in response to the ever growing threat of the Grimm. _

_The UNDF does not make direct use of political assemblies or committees, and the only council it possess are a board of commanders responsible for leading its branches, all under the command of one Supreme Chairman. At its inception, it was funded exclusively by the permanent members of the UN Security Council –primarily the US (now NAC) and UK– but once off the ground and proving itself against the Grimm, the budget was expanded. _

_Members of the United Nations are not required to also be member states of the UNDF, but refusal to participate (that is, refusal to contribute to its annual budget, and agreeing to, without condition, approve its presence within your borders should the need arise), bars citizens of that nation from serving within it, as well as excludes it from UN military aid._

_At the time of this writing, all G20 nations are contributing members, and many other UN member states have since joined for promise of security against the Grimm._

_The organization is not without controversy or dissent. Many UN states are wary of an international military, as the UNDF is only answerable and held accountable by the permanent UN Security Council and its President, and rarely, directly to the UN Secretary General. Furthermore, the necessary fiscal contributions commonly necessitate a significant downsizing of an individual nation's own military. Countries unwilling to join, but still wary of the Grimm, instead banded together under a new trend of political-military blocs, the largest and most famous being the North African Alliance._

_These blocs have a frigid relationship with the UNDF, and while a global military has banded many in the UN together more closely than ever before, it has also alienated a significant portion as well. There is a fear this tension may lead to conflict in the future, but for the moment, the UNDF is still seen by many today as the best weapon mankind has against the Grimm, and any other force which may seek to do the world harm. _

_– _


	3. Chapter 3: The Long Ride

"_**Mrs. Mandella:**__ …William can take care of me. He's a soldier, you know.  
__**Carl:**__ Right-oh, yeah, you tol' me. Whassit like, man?  
__**William:**__ Mostly boring. When you aren't bored, you're scared."_

–_**Joe Haldeman, The Forever War**_

.

"_Family don't end with blood." _

–_**Bobby Singer, Supernatural**_

.

**Chapter 3: The Long Ride**

For all their success in securing the city-limits of Kotova, the UNDF was having less gracious run of the outlying open grounds of the largely untouched land between the city and the wall, of which there were roughly one-hundred kilometers (eighty miles) of. The 3rd Assault Brigade was comprised of four-thousand UNDF soldiers, along with dozens of armored vehicles and dedicated air-support. The Brigade was a unit in the larger, twenty-one thousand strong, 43rd Mobile Defense Division, the majority of which was occupying the aforementioned city.

The assault force had advanced over half-way to the wall, with the recon elements having taken a twenty or so kilometer lead. According to radio chatter, their advance was slowing, as the concentrations of Grimm were growing exponentially thicker as they closed in on the breach.

Four-thousand soldiers sounded like a big number, and it was true that, at a distance, a battle was in the UNDF's favor. However, the Grimm were many, and shrugged off losses that would cripple a human army. In an engagement, the UNDF, on average, inflicted three-to-four times the casualties to the Grimm as the Grimm did to the UNDF. The Grimm did not feel these casualties as the UNDF did; after a certain point, the UNDF would not be able to continue, their command structure unsustainable –the Grimm had no such weakness.

On top of that, after a certain distance was closed, the advantage was flipped. While true the Grimm were largely at the mercy of ranged human weaponry, it became their undoing when the Grimm were almost inevitably upon them. The 3:1 or 4:1 odds in favor of the UNDF, reversed in close quarters. This was the death knell for any successful UNDF, or even Ranger operation against the Grimm. This was the danger the 3rd Brigade faced; keeping the Grimm at sufficient distance, while also advancing toward them.

The two Huntresses they carried with them, and the remainder of their team on the ground, were the exception to this, as they seemed to thrive against the Grimm at any range, but they were outliers and shouldn't be counted.

'_We're coming up on the 3__rd__ Brigade FOB,' _informed the pilot over the intercom. '_I'll be setting you down, but I've been ordered to stay on station for the duration of your operation. If you need a lift or a little extra fire-power, let me know.'_

"Noted, Viper 3-18, much appreciated," replied the Captain.

There was a noticeable sensation of weight disappearing beneath them as the VTOL descended back toward the ground. The rear-hatch roared open again, after being sealed shut for the entire trip out of the city. After the frigid mountains and depressing grays of the city, the green fields beyond were a welcome change of pace. If one squinted from their distance, they could see several river snaking along the horizon.

The sky was still pelting the ground with droplets of half-rain, and the ground beneath their feet, while not muddy, had been softened. The terrain would soon be that much more difficult to traverse.

Dmitry silently cursed the showering sky. Rain was, in his opinion, the worst occurrence in nature; uncomfortable, inconvenient, and most of all, depressing. Rain was nothing more than the weeping of the Earth, trying to make others weep with it. The gray skies seemed to suck away all the color from the world.

As they off-loaded from the Chimera, an entourage of UNDF troops came to greet them, an un-helmeted, relatively young man with blindingly blond hair at the front.

"Captain, good to see you've arrived," he said, rather jovially considering the 3rd Brigades predicament. He extended a hand to her, which she took.

"Major Wilhelm, 3rd Assault Brigade's Executive Officer. Come, Colonel Biko is expecting you."

Korva fell in with the Major, and the rest of Saber followed closely behind.

"Can you give me an idea of your situation, Major?" she asked. "The General more or less pushed us out the door."

"Well, we've halted our main advance for the moment; too many Grimm, not enough ammo to kill them all, and the rain's going pick up soon. It'd be suicide to keep going. We've secured the area for a few clicks out, and we've enough fire-power to keep ourselves alive here, but we're going to need to make some sort of move that isn't rushing in head-first, and soon. Luckily, the Colonel and I have been putting together a plan, with the help of our combat engineers."

"And I assume we're quite important to that plan?"

He nodded. "The Colonel will tell you more. In the meantime, I'll be rounding up the rest of your group. I assume you've at least been briefed on our unusual newfound allies?"

"More than briefed," chimed in Jay, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder at Ruby and Weiss.

Wilhelm's smile widened and he laughed.

"Well I'll be damned, you found more! I apologize for not greeting you sooner, I've been quite pre-occupied as of late. Do you know the other two Huntresses we've encountered?" he asked excitedly.

"They're our teammates," Ruby replied.

"Excellent, that's excellent news; this plan just became more doable. The Colonel will be pleased to know another two of you are running around. Speaking of which, the command tent is just down there," he said, pointing straight down a row of armored vehicles and quickly-constructed supply caches.

"I'll join you again shortly. In the meantime, you'll be briefed on what we need from your team. If you'll excuse me, Captain."

"Of course, sir," she replied curtly as he departed.

"Well," Korva said, turning back to her team. "Let's see what the Colonel has in store for us."

The command tent, unlike the conference room used in the UNDF command back in Kotova, was well let, and populated with a dozen personnel, all either tapping away at keyboards, or writing something or other on paper, and one long-range comms operator in the corner. At the center of it all was Colonel Biko, tall and strong looking like the Field Master, but with the military properness of the Major General. He wore a cap over his closely shaven hair, and his skin was dark like Jay's, though not quite as dark.

Upon their entrance, the Colonel dropped what he was doing to greet them.

"Ranger Team Saber? And…are they?" he asked hesitantly upon seeing Ruby and Weiss.

"Huntresses? Yes," finished Korva. "We already know about the two you've encountered, they're teammates. I realize, Colonel, that we have a plan to be briefed on, but would you happen to have your Huntresses locations?"

Biko nodded and turned to the comms operator.

"Sergeant, get X-ray 3 on the line, tell them they're to fall back to Saranpaul, and to bring Goldilocks and Shadowcat back with them. They're needed for a more important Op there."

"Yes, sir," he complied.

"Goldilocks and Shadowcat?" commented Jay.

"I didn't name them, that was X-ray 3," he defended. "Easy to remember short-hand, it just kind of became their call-signs. Anyway, they'll rendezvousing with you all after we begin the operation. They've been with one of my scout teams for a little while now, so they have an idea of what needs to be done."

"Are they alright?" asked Ruby. "I mean, they're not hurt or anything?"

"None of my reports indicate they're in anything but perfect fighting shape. They've proven pleasantly cooperative from what I've heard, actually."

"We apologize," spoke Weiss. "We're just concerned for our teammates. We've been separated for some time now, and we're…rather far from home."

The Colonel nodded sympathetically.

"I understand, they're your comrades. We all worry for our friends in times like these. I can assure you, they're fine, and you'll see them soon. We'll need all four of you for this operation; your team is the ace up our sleeve in the event things go sideways," he assured them.

"Now, let me explain exactly what we've cooked up."

Biko dimmed the artificial lighting, and walked over to a portable holographic generator. It projected a large map of the surrounding region; Ruby could clearly see that their current position was marked just short of one of the rivers, and another dot, marked X-ray 3, could be seen slowly but surely moving towards a small town to the bases' south. That was Yang and Blake, she thought to herself.

"This is the precise location of the breach," explained Biko, pointing to a glowing red dot along a blue outline, some fifty kilometers east of them.

"Our approach is becoming exponentially more difficult as the Grimm become more tightly packed, and the rain is going to slow our movement even further. Which is why we're going to need to hit this problem from more than one angle."

An orange dot suddenly appeared on the map, just short of the wall, a few kilometers south of the breach.

"That, is an emergency manual power-transfer station. The wall has any number of defensive measures built into it; missile salvos, artillery cannons, motion-tracking .50 cal turrets, all to keep the Grimm from the wall. Those defensive measures are offline."

More orange became visible, this time a line that emanated from the breach's location, and ran a mostly straight line back to a location just north of Kotova.

"That is the primary power conduit for this section of the wall, powered by its own dedicated fusion reactor just outside Kotova. Reports indicate that the facility there is in working order, so the only thing stopping the wall from defending itself is the breach itself. We believe the power-conduit was damaged."

"Aren't there secondary measures in place to keep that from being a problem?" cut in Malik.

Biko nodded. "Normally, in an event like this, the power would be shunted to a number of secondary conduits, but that automated response seems to have also failed. The facility in the Urals could have remotely activated it, but since it's been destroyed, we have only one other option, and that's to do it by hand."

A yellow line was now tracing out from the base, down a road, to the small town that X-ray 3 was heading towards.

"You'll be taking some APC's loaded with a team of combat engineers on the road south, to the town of Saranpaul. You'll link up with X-ray 3 and the Huntresses there."

"Why not take a Chimera," questioned Jay. "It'd be faster than going by ground."

"True," he admitted. "But I'm not chancing you attracting any Blackbirds; the rivers have been slowing the grounded Grimm, but the skies are far from clear out here. We've lost a lot of aircraft already, and I don't have the resources to spare an escort. They might be slower, but the APC's are quieter and less conspicuous. Ideally, you'll be undetected during your mission."

Jay seemed less than enthusiastic about being cooped up inside an APC, but she accepted the explanation.

"From Saranpaul," Biko continued. "You'll be taking the road along the Lyapin River until you reach the UNDF-built bridge that crosses the banks. The road across roughly follows the Kempazh River to the power-transfer facility. It's the safest route; most of the Grimm seem to be ignoring the south in favor of advancing towards us and the city, though I hear some have made it as far as the northern mountains already. The roads should be clear, so you'll likely meet minimal, if any, resistance. Once at the power center, you'll watch the engineer's backs while they bring the wall's defense systems back online. It should be enough to keep more Grimm from worming through while you close off the breach."

"And how will we be doing that?" asked Korva.

The display changed to a horizontal perspective, and zoomed into the wall, where a view of the breach was clearer. There was a massive hole blown in the lower ground section, creating a messy arch-like opening, allowing for Grimm to pass easily through.

"My engineers tell me that, given the proper placement, a controlled demolition would cause the archway above the breach to collapse in on itself, sealing off the opening. Most of the weapons surrounding the breach are likely damaged if not totally destroyed, so it's dead weight to us regardless. It's of course a temporary solution, but I've been told the UADS _Helena_ is inbound from Anchorage in Alaska. It should arrive in a few hours to help secure out position and begin aiding in the repairs, under the assumption that we can clear the Grimm out in the meantime. Once you bring the defense systems back online, proceed to the nearest service hatch, and make your way through the wall. The engineers will know what they need to do, just keep them alive."

Korva nodded. "Understood, sir."

"We'll be starting an advance soon to try and draw more Grimm away from the wall, help ensure nothing crosses your path. I don't need to tell you that this job needs done quickly; I can't guarantee how long we'll be able to keep an offensive up, and every Grimm through that breach is another life potentially lost. That being said, I know you'll get it done," he grinned, then looked to Ruby and Weiss. "All of you."

"Dismissed. Major Wilhelm has likely gathered together your vehicles and the engineers, just head to the south end and you should find him. Good luck to you."

"Thank you, sir. Saber, let's move," barked Korva, turning to the exit, the rest of the team falling in.

True to Wilhelm's word, the rain was indeed picking up, and the Rangers were dripping, as they ventured south. Ruby and Weiss were fine, despite their less hardy clothing; the rain droplets that struck them seemed to slide off them without actually making contact with them. Dmitry guessed that it must be their auras at work, keeping them dry, and felt a twinge of envy as his hair lie matted down against him. He wished he could blocked out the damnable rain so easily.

Whether against the Grimm or the forces of nature, the Huntresses seemed untouchable.

"Viper 3-18," said the Captain into her ear-piece.

'_You rang, Captain?'_

"We'll be proceeding groundside for the foreseeable future, but I'm having one of my Rangers send you our planned route. Can I trust you to come to our rescue in the event of unpleasant company?"

'_My guns are your guns, Captain.'_

"That's what I like to hear. Korva, out."

Malik was already tapping away on his micro-computer before Korva even gave him the order to. Within seconds, the screen winked back to darkness, the task complete.

Proceeding south, the six were waved over by an officer that they quickly identified as Wilhelm. He ushered them over to a pair of parked, but revving APCs. Like everything the UNDF made, Ruby though to herself, the APCs lacked any sort of aesthetic grace, but had a hardy, utilitarian blocky-ness to them that she couldn't really appreciate, but did at the very least respect. It wasn't going to look pretty doing the job, but by god it would get the job done.

Standing behind Wilhelm were eight helmeted individuals that were noticeably less armored than the standard troops she and Weiss had encountered. They still had the thick vests on their chests, but their arms and legs were more thinly covered, only by fatigues and weather resistant fabric, with fingerless gloves. They all also wore backpacks, and were only lightly armed with SMGs like the one Malik had carried before swapping it out for his current carbine, save for two of them, which carried pump-action shotguns.

"Captain Korva, excellent," said Wilhelm. "This is 1st Sergeant Keller and engineering squad Indigo. You'll be escorting them on your mission."

The soldier in the center of the group stepped forward and nodded.

"Good to meet ya, Cap'n. Glad ya'll are here, it's mighty rough out there, though the Major kindly did pick us a right safe route through this mess. With any luck, we won't have no trouble gettin' up to the wall."

"X-Ray Actual will have the most up-to-date information on the route along the Kempazh, so be sure to check with them once you get to Saranpaul and link up with X-Ray 3," informed Wilhelm.

"Understood, sir," Korva replied, turning to Indigo squad. "Unless there's anything else, I suggest we get moving."

Indigo nodded and began filing into the APC's, four in each. The vehicles seated twelve individuals comfortably, so Saber also broke off into groups. Dmitry, Malik and Weiss took the lead APC, seating themselves at the end, close to the hatch, while Ruby, Korva and Jay fell in with the rear, Korva and Ruby taking a similar seating arrangement, and Jay sitting a few seats away, closer to the center and the engineers, to lay out her more cumbersome gear.

"Sure seems like we've been doing a lot of sitting, talking, and riding around all of a sudden," commented Ruby as she bucked herself into the rear cabin.

"Welcome to war, Ruby Rose," said Korva. "Long stretches of sitting, talking, and riding around, interspersed with short periods of shooting and running for your life."

Jay chimed in as she began inspecting her LMG.

"The best outcome of which, is more sitting, talking, and riding around," she said, turning to Korva. "And to think, you used to not even get _paid_ for this, Captain."

* * *

Many kilometers away, to the west of Saranpaul, the team of scout troops that had suddenly become such a hot topic were now –shockingly– sitting and talking, having finished their mandatory periods of riding around, shooting, and running for their lives. For the moment, at least.

Three figures sat inside a scout Humvee, sitting just out of sight in some foliage by the lonesome road leading east to the wall.

"I dunno Rei," said the first figure, scratching dirty blond swoops of hair just barely kept within regulation length as he sat in the passenger seat of the vehicle. "Young's been gone a while, you think he's okay?"

Rei scoffed, cleaning his thick-rimmed glasses from the driver's seat.

"Well I'm sure as hell not riding to his rescue, but if you wanna put your cockney ass on the line for him, be my guest, Vin."

"Okay, Rei, first of all, just because I'm from London, doesn't mean I'm cockney," Vin growled. "Secondly, he's been gone like twenty-five minutes, and he hasn't checked back once."

"And he's got the cat-girl-mutant-whatever with him, he'll be fine," he sighed. "I'd be surprised if they hadn't won the whole battle already."

"I told you, she's a Faunus," snapped the last figure from the roof of the Humvee, who rolled around and hung over the edge to glare at Rei.

"Faunus, mutant, I don't know or care what she is. All I know is Young's dumb ass will be fine if she's around. Also, back off mega-melons, you're fogging up my glasses."

The blond frowned at the crude nickname, fighting off the urge to pop him one in the face. Blake would, of course, scold her for that though, probably something along the lines of it being hard enough to find allies without her breaking people's noses. As it was, she held off.

"Oi, be nice to Yang," chided Vin. "She did save our arses from that Direwolf pack back east."

"That _they_ drew towards us," he snapped back. "Saving us doesn't count if they're the ones that almost killed us in the first place."

"Hey, we said we were sorry about that," Yang grumbled.

She had taken to laying around in the back seat grumpily, but appreciated that at least Vin was grateful. Rei was an insensitive jerk, and Young was mostly business. Granted, from what she understood, they were in a pretty serious state of emergency, so moods were bound to be sour, but she had her own problems to worry about, and so far as she'd seen, all X-Ray 3 were really doing was sitting around, far from the frontlines.

Ruby and Weiss had to be out there somewhere. Her last memory before everything got hazy was of them together, and if she and Blake had ended up…wherever on Remnant this crazy mess was happening, then her sister and the ice-queen couldn't be too far. She needed to know they were okay, and sitting out in the middle of nowhere wasn't doing her nerves any favors.

The silence of their waiting was broken by the sudden crackle of the Humvee's radio.

'_X-Ray 3, this is X-Ray Actual. I say again, this is X-Ray Actual to X-Ray 3. Respond.'_

Vin and Yang sat up and leaned in toward the driver seat as Rei answered the radio hail.

"X-Ray Actual this is X-Ray 3, go ahead, over."

'_X-Ray 3, you're being recalled back to Saranpaul. We've just got orders from the 3__rd__ Brigade FOB, you're to return ASAP and await the arrival of an engineering team and their Ranger escorts. You're also being instructed to bring the Huntresses you encountered; the Rangers found more that claim to know them. Over.'_

"Ruby and Wiess," Yang exclaimed. They were okay, they were coming to her! Now all they needed was for Blake and Young to make it back and they could get on the road.

"Pipe down," Rei hissed. "We copy, Actual. We're finishing our grid-marking op, then we'll head back immediately, over."

'_Acknowledged. X-Ray Actual, over and out.'_

The radio clicked to silence.

"Well that's great," said Vin, happily. "More Huntresses, and we get to head back. We even get to meet Rangers, how cool is that?"

"Yeah, _great_," grumbled Rei.

Yang shot them a questioning look. "What are Rangers?"

"Grimm-killing machines, basically," Rei explained. "Just one of them is worth half a platoon. A whole team? They may as well be sending a fucking company our way."

Vin retook his position slumped in the passenger seat.

"You ever met a Ranger, Rei?"

He shrugged. "Never knew one personally, but I've seen plenty. Talked to a couple. I used to live near the Mojave wall, Rangers would come into town sometimes."

"You ever think about trying to join?" he asked. "I mean, we're not commissioned officers or anything. We could if we wanted to. It'd be more exciting than scouting missions, at least."

Rei scoffed at him.

"I'm not nearly that suicidal."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Yang.

"I mean," Rei said, the annoyed edge to his voice growing. "The Rangers accept pretty much anyone with two legs and a pulse, but the initiation to actually qualify for the training is insane. _Actually_ insane. They throw you like thirty kilometers outside the wall with the shirt on your back and a knife, and tell you to walk."

"Walk where?" asked Vin.

"Where else, genius, back to the wall. You get three days, and if you don't make it back, they leave you to die, and fuck if they'll come looking for you. I heard sometimes, nobody makes it back."

"And you know so much about these people, how?" asked Yang, laying back down in the backseat.

"I told you," he sighed. "I grew up around these people. I asked them. It's not exactly a secret; they're pretty up-front about what you have to do and what it's for. They give you tons of chances to back-out, and that alone gets rid of the cowardly ones, the initiation itself vets out the dumb and weak ones, and the four-fucking-year long training filters out the lazy and impatient ones. Anyone left after all that is an insane mess of 100% Grimm-murder just waiting to be unsealed."

"Oh," muttered Vin meekly.

Rei scoffed again.

"Yeah, _oh_."

It certainly sounded rough, though Yang couldn't help but draw parallels to her own initiation into Beacon. In many way, these Rangers sounded similar to the Hunters. Elite, Grimm killing warriors, thoroughly trained for years, expected to survive in intense environments while maintaining combat effectiveness. She did have to concede, however, that she had at least been able to keep her weapons to fight the Grimm. Fighting those Ursas, or the fight against the Nevermore that seemed so long ago now, would certainly have been more dire had she only had a knife to work with.

'_Rei. Rei, do you copy? Over.'_

The radio crackled to life again, drawing the Humvee occupants' attention. Rei answered the call.

"This is Rei, over," he answered.

'_Rei, we finished up our last sweep. Nothing for a few kilometers it seems like. Shadowcat's already on approach, I won't be far behind. Resist the urge to shoot us. Over.'_

"I am currently resisting, out."

Like clockwork, a light thunk resounded from above, followed by a monochrome clad figure dropping from the roof, and swinging open the back door of the Humvee. With a heavy sigh, she threw herself onto the seat that Yang had quickly vacated. Rain-water dripped from a black poncho draped over her shoulders.

Yang looked her up and down, a smirk on her face.

"You look miserable," she chuckled.

Blake pulled the hood back on the poncho, a grimace streaked across her face.

"I hate the rain," she grumbled.

"Well I've got some news that'll warm the cockles of your heart for sure," she said with a smile. "We're headed to a town, and Ruby and Weiss will be meeting us there."

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"They're okay?"

"Got picked up by some Rangers," spoke up Vin. "We're being recalled for something, and they need you both there. I guess someone further up the chain wants your team re-united."

Blake sighed in relief. It had been hours since coming to out in the strange land that surrounded them, with not a single sign of Ruby or Weiss. She'd begun to consider the worst, but now they were safe, and soon their family would be in one piece again.

"That's wonderful news."

"Yeah, parades all around," said Rei. "Now as soon as Young hurries his ass back here, we can get going and get the Sailor Scouts back together."

"I heard my name," came a new voice.

They each turned to the same back door that Blake had come through. Young, still covered in his rain gear, threw himself into the backseat, forcing Blake and Yang to squish together and make room. He pulled back his hood and threw off his helmet, fanning through his light brown hair with one hand as he closed the door with the other.

"We're being recalled," said Rei, revving up the Humvee's engine.

"To Saranpaul?"

"Yeah, some Rangers are swinging through, and they're asking for jumbo-jugs and Ms. Neko-neko back there. Figure it must be something important."

"So what are _we_ doing?" asked Young.

Rei shrugged, pulling the Humvee up onto the road, heading west.

"With any luck, getting something to eat," he sighed.

* * *

Saranpaul was roughly thirty kilometers south from the 3rd Brigade's FOB, meaning the drive down with the APC by road would take 25 minutes or so. Dmitry was growing restless with all the sitting around they'd been doing lately. The rain was causing small tinking sounds to resonate in the cabin as they struck against the outer metal plating.

He hated the rain; nothing good ever happened in the rain, and amidst the otherwise silent drive, it brought to the forefront of his mind, thoughts he would rather have pushed back to the metaphorical box he'd stored them in. Memories of harsher rains. It made him unconsciously bounce his leg up and down in agitation.

None of the engineers paid him any mind. Rangers were to be respected, or course, and many of the Non-com UNDF held them onto a sort of legendary pedestal, but they were also mysterious, and mysteriousness often garnered unsavory rumors and even some fear. None of them were about to say anything to either him or Malik; you left Rangers to Ranger business. Malik himself had also noticed, but chocked it up to nerves. No matter how competent, Dmitry _was_ still a rookie, and this _was_ more intense than any of their previous assignments.

Only Weiss thought to act on his somewhat odd behavior, and lightly nudged him in the side with her elbow, snapping him out of his stupor. He jolted back to the present, and swiveled his head to the side to her.

The sudden, violent movement had honestly surprised her.

"Are you okay?" she whispered.

Slowly, he nodded, turning his head back to face forward.

The heiress was puzzled by Dmitry's sudden and random behavior; the Ranger had thus far proven himself both a staunch and loyal professional, or exuberant to the point of almost child-like enthusiasm. This mysterious, somber mood that had taken him since they departed toward Saranpaul was concerning.

She tried to make herself believe he was, perhaps, just tired. After all, he had no aura manipulation to speak of, so none of the Rangers possessed the strength or endurance she, or the rest of her team did. The explanation didn't sit well with her, though. It was something more than simple physical fatigue; that much she could feel.

A cramped APC was no place to bring up such a subject, though. When they departed, after reaching the town, and meeting up with the rest of her team, then she could speak to him about it. Hopefully she could figure out what had him so aggravated. For the moment, it would have to sit.

Meanwhile, one APC away, there was no shortage of conversation.

"Ruby," said Korva. "You've been with your team for some time, correct?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, for over a year and a half now. Why?"

"I'd like for us to keep working well together, so I was hoping you could tell me more about it, your team I mean," she explained.

The request was vague, but Ruby felt it was a reasonable request, especially in the name of teamwork. Ruby and Weiss' coordination with Saber Team had very much been a trial by fire, so having an awareness of what Yang and Blake brought to the table beforehand would speed things along tactically. Captain Korva was also an experienced commander and leader; the mission would be most likely to succeed if she had as much information as Ruby could give her to work with.

"Um, sure. What did you want to know?"

"I've already seen what you and Ms. Schnee can do, but what of the others of your team? What skills should I be aware of?"

That was simple enough, she just wanted to know about their weapons and semblances.

"Well," Ruby started, "Our teammate Blake's weapon is called Gambol Shroud, it's a pretty multi-purpose weapon. It's a sword…well, technically two swords if you count the sheath, and the smaller blade can fold up to be used like a whip, or a gun. She's pretty fast, and she's really good at dodging thanks to her semblance."

Korva tilted her head in confusion.

"Semblance?"

The single word question threw Ruby off for a moment, before remembering that the Captain wasn't a huntress, and so she probably wouldn't know what a semblance was. Even in Vale, most people in their day to day lives knew of and thought little about the Huntsman and Huntresses of Remnant. Despite their fantastic and romantic allure, actual technical knowledge of them was not as common to the average citizen as it had been for Ruby, as she had grown up with Hunters for parents, and lived within spitting distance of a combat academy for most of her life.

It was kind of like assuming someone knew the exact function of a carburetor just because they happened to live near a lot of auto-mechanics.

"Oh," she said, recomposing herself. "Uh, it's like the special powers we have. Like when Weiss made those glyphs on the bridge? That was her semblance. Mine is super-speed. Blake can make shadow-copies of herself to take hits in her place."

She'd tried to keep the explanation as simple and brief as possible, for the sake of clear understanding. No need to dive into the technicals of aura manipulation –she wasn't the best person to give that explanation anyway.

Korva nodded, though Ruby was still unsure if it had been an adequate explanation.

"Then what of your last member?"

"Yang? Well, she's easily the strongest of us, at least physically, so she tends to take a much closer range approach. Her Ember Celica gauntlets have shotguns attached to them, so her punches are pretty lethal to anyone or anything without aura. She also gets stronger when she's mad, if that helps."

"She would be a good choice for either taking point or watching our six in the maintenance shafts then," said Korva. "They tend to be narrow."

"Why so much caution inside the wall?" Ruby asked. "I figure it would be pretty safe in there at least."

Korva shook her head.

"This breach has been open for hours, and many Grimm favor dark spaces. It wouldn't surprise me if a few had crawled inside by now. We'll need to be on our guard."

"You sure seem to know your Grimm," said Ruby.

Korva chuckled. "Well, I've been a Ranger a long time, but don't sell yourself short, Ruby. You're hardly a novice when it comes to the hunting of Grimm. You would make a fine Ranger, I'm sure."

Being a Ranger didn't seem too different from being a Huntress to Ruby. You still had teams, you still went through training, fought Grimm; the only thing that really separated them as far as she could tell, was the lack of semblances and aura manipulation. The Rangers, as skilled as they were, were just regular, every-day human beings. With that in mind, the comment became quite flattering.

"You think?" she laughed.

"I do," Korva replied, and then was silent for a moment.

"Do you enjoy being a Huntress?" she asked. "Do you find fulfillment in it?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, of course. I decided to become a Huntress because I wanted to help people, and I get to do that all the time, even though I'm really still learning. Yeah, I do enjoy it."

"That's very good," she said, then laughed. "You just reminded me of my younger daughter, Vera, talking like that. She wanted to be a Ranger for much the same reason."

Ruby's eyes widened in surprise.

"You have a daughter, Captain?"

"Two. Identical twins, though Cordelia would always argue she was the older, always try to take charge."

Ruby laughed, she knew what that was like. Not having a twin, obviously, but a take-charge older sister was something with which she could relate well.

"Did they both want to be Rangers like you?"

Korva nodded. Her expression slowly, subtly deflated from one of fond remembrance to something...more somber.

"Oh, well what team are they on?" asked Ruby.

"They're not on a team," she replied, then after a moment, continued. "They didn't qualify for the training."

Ruby's expression shifted to disappointment. That must have been a bummer. Being a Huntress was her life-long dream, and she could only imagine what it would have been like not to get into Beacon.

"That's too bad. There's always next time thought, right?"

Korva didn't reply, and Ruby, in that moment, was suddenly overwhelmed with the sense that she'd said something wrong.

* * *

Saranpaul, even in the years between the arrival of the Grimm, the construction of the walls, and the present, had changed little. It was still a small town sitting along the banks of the Lyapin River, now overshadowed by Kotova in the distance. It was this town that Recon Group X-Ray had set up shop in, tasked with surveying the eastward road to the power transfer facility, marking potential threats. They hadn't the equipment or man-power to examine the entire stretch of road in the time they were allotted, but the grid was looking mostly clear.

X-Ray 3 pulled onto the main road through the town and parked the Humvee along the sidewalk. As the soldiers and Huntresses exited the vehicle, they were already being approached by what was clearly a superior officer.

"How went the hunting, boys?" asked the Lieutenant.

"All quiet from our end, sir," replied Young.

The officer looked to Yang and Blake. The two girls stood off to the side, Blake's hands held respectfully behind her back, and Yang leaning against the Humvee.

"I take it you must be Goldilocks and Shadowcat," he said. "I suppose the UNDF owes you a bit of thanks for clearing out so many Grimm. You'll be glad to know we have some Rangers enroute that found some people that claim to be friends of yours."

Blake nodded. "We heard. We're eager to meet up with them. Do you know when they'll be arriving?"

"You're just in time," he replied. "APC's from north are due here any second now."

He turned to X-Ray 3.

"You three will be tagging along with the Rangers too, they'll need some people already familiar with the terrain and threat placement on their way to the wall."

Rei, Vin and Young all exchanged glances. Them? On a Ranger mission? Were they _trying_ to get the three of them killed? Each of them wanted to protest, but you didn't just say "no" to the Rangers. When they went somewhere, it was because someone with medals on their chest and, statistically speaking, chunks of something important missing, told them they needed to be there. Missions like that didn't take kindly to complaints from grunts.

The hum of engines rumbling down the road caught their attention, and two APC's rolled down the road, passing the Humvee by before coming to a halt.

The first people out of the vehicles were Rangers. Rei recognized them immediately by the coats, Vin and Young taking a second to process them before catching up and realizing, yes, those were real Rangers. Their plastic and metallic masks gave them an intimidating, but professional aura, and their coats, customized with unique decorations, made them seem hardy and heroic. Three of them stood by the APC's, probably to stretch their legs, while one of them came forward, to meet the Lieutenant.

Directly behind them, much more easily seen against the gray and through the rain, were two young girls. One was dressed crimson-trimmed black all over, a hood over her head and cloak billowing in the wind. The second was stark white, even her hair. It made her seem like living ice. There was a sword at her hip, and her arms were folded, as she stood closely to one of the Rangers.

Suddenly X-Ray 3's vision collectively became a blur of yellow as Yang propelled herself forward full kilter through the rain.

"RUBY!" she cried.

The red girl's head perked up, searching for the familiar voice echoing her name through the rain-soaked street. When she locked eyes with Yang, she exploded into rose-petals, exceeding even her sister's speed to meet her. The two collided, seemingly without injury despite their intense velocity, and latched onto each other so tightly one might have thought them trying to merge into a single being.

They fell to the ground, becoming wet from the rain for the first time, too overjoyed to even keep their auras up to guard against the rain. Both groups could hear their laughter over the rain.

"You're okay!" Yang exclaimed, rolling around with her sister dragged along for the ride.

"Of course I am!" she cackled. "I was more worried about you!"

Meanwhile, Weiss had managed to squirm past the now soaked sisters, meeting up with Blake, who was looking on in no small amount of amusement.

"Those two don't ever change, do they," Weiss sighed with a smile before turning to Blake. "I'm glad to see you're okay. Ruby and I were worried when we couldn't find you after waking up."

"Likewise on both counts, heiress," she joked, pulling Weiss into a much more subdued, but nonetheless affectionate embrace. It was surprisingly pro-social for Blake, but Weiss didn't fight it. The relief she felt, having their team back together again, was akin to coming home.

"Group hug!" shouted Yang and Ruby simultaneously, having snuck up on the other half of their team. Yang's immense strength, easily pulled the two girls into her grasp, and Ruby ensured they didn't escape by latching onto the other side. The sister's laughed, and their teammates were soon drawn in as well.

Saber Team watched in silence as Team RWBY reformed in all its glory. Korva found it in herself to smile behind her mask. The girl's unbridled joy was an uplifting force, and brought to her mind bittersweet memories of a time when she took such laughter for granted. Dmitry smiled as well, and looked up to the sky, swearing the rain felt lighter.


	4. Chapter 4: Good Vibrations

"_I'm not an expert in the field, but that sounds  
to me like the cries of the damned." _

–Gordon, Freeman's Mind

.

"_And then, somehow, it got worse." _

–A common Russian joke, when asked to sum up the country's history

.

**Chapter 4: Good Vibrations**

"Well ain't that sweet," said Jay.

The rain continued to pour down in Saranpaul as team RWBY finally re-united. Yang was practically lifting all three girls off the ground, their laughter still overpowering the falling rain. It truly was a heartwarming scene.

"Leave them alone, Jay," said Malik. "They weren't even sure the rest of their team was alive a few hours ago."

"Hey, I'm being serious, this is a diabetes-inducing level of sweetness. Why don't we have group hugs? I'm gonna tell the Captain we should have group hugs."

Jay slid past Malik and spread her arms wide, closing in on Dmitry.

"Come on, D! Its hug time," she grinned.

Dmitry stepped away quickly, causing her to laugh and give short chase. Dmitry continued to duck and weave away any time she got close, which only encouraged her more.

"Jay, can you at least try to act professional?"

"It's in the interest of team building, Malik," she replied.

The shortest of Saber shook his head, choosing to join the Captain instead of indulging his teammate's shenanigans. Korva was speaking with X-Ray's Lieutenant and X-Ray 3 about their involvement in the operation. She could tell the three of them were on edge from their unsure glances to one another and occasional shuffling and shifting in place as she spoke. She chose to reassure them of their roles.

"We'll just need you for our approach; you know the situation here best, and you know the Grimm placement. Once we reach the wall, you'll be free to return back here if you choose. We'll handle our own exfil," she explained.

"They're jokers," said the Lieutenant. "But their recon's good. They'll have your back."

"That's all we need."

"We…won't let you down, Captain," said Young, standing very rigid.

Korva patted him on the shoulder, and turned away. Malik fell in with her, the two looking on as Jay still pestered Dmitry, who had somehow managed to get atop one of the APCs, out of her reach. The girls had settled down, having moved underneath an awning, and were talking animatedly, though Ruby was pleasantly riding on Yang's back.

The Captain sighed, smiling behind her mask.

"Some days, Malik, I think you're the only one who is not secretly a child."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Over with team RWBY, under the awning, Ruby was recounting her and Weiss' adventures in the mountains.

"And then WHAM! I chopped its wing off! It was so cool, you should have seen it," exclaimed the scythe-wielder, recounting the battle against the Nevermore.

"Sounds like quite an adventure," said Blake.

Yang would have been rubbing her chin thoughtfully had both her arms not been occupied holding her sister.

"What do you think of those Rangers?" she asked.

Rei had been informative about them, but Yang felt he was a tad biased, and lacked the full picture. Ruby and Weiss had spent time with the people, spoken with them, fought with them, and honestly she trusted Ruby's judgment of people more than random scouts. She would have the best gauge for how much to trust them.

Ruby looked over her shoulder at Korva and Malik.

"Well," she started. "Captain Korva is stern and tough, but pretty nice. We talked a little bit, and she seems mostly just curious about us. We originally weren't going to be allowed to come with them to see you, but she argued for us, so I think she's trustworthy. Jay and Malik are nice too, even if they didn't really trust Weiss and me at first I think. I think Jay thinks we're cool after the Nevermore, haha. Malik is kinda quiet, but not nearly as much as Dmitry."

Ruby changed her view to the Ranger, sitting on top of the armored vehicle, safely perched away from Jay.

"He's a little weird," the Huntress admitted. "But he seems really friendly. Weiss would know better than I would, though."

Weiss snapped to sudden attention at the sound of her name, folding her arms indignantly, and furrowing her brow in annoyance.

"What makes me such an expert?"

Ruby arched her eyebrow in confusion.

"Uh…because you've been hanging around him since we all met?"

"No I-"

Weiss was about to rebuke the statement as total fiction, but upon replaying the last few hours in her head, she realized Ruby was absolutely correct. She _had_ spent nearly all her downtime talking with Dmitry, or at least hovering around him. Odd, but an irrelevant subject at the moment.

"Aww," Yang cooed. "Did Weis make a new friend? All on her own? I'm so proud of you!"

The blond bear-hugged her, lifting her from the ground again.

"If you value your health, you'll put me down this instant, Xiao Long," the heiress grumbled.

Yang, still beaming with pride, complied. The pale Huntress brushed away some non-existent dust upon returning to solid earth.

"Anyway," she sighed. "He's rather quiet, yes. Silent actually, I've yet to hear him utter a single word. It's a bit of a mystery; he's clearly not deaf, and I've not found any evidence of injury that might disable his vocal chords, so I can only assume it's voluntary. I haven't asked him why, I hardly think it's my business. Besides, I've been able to keep up conversation with him regardless."

There was a short silence among RWBY, Yang and Blake's eyes on her expectantly.

"What?"

"And?" urged Yang.

"And _what_?" she repeated.

"She wants to know what your impression of him is," said Blake.

Weiss looked away, seeing Dmitry, having abandoned his perch, and instead opted for the drier canopy below. He sat patiently at the edge of the hatch, and suddenly looked to her, noticing her looking at him. He gave a short wave. Before realizing her misstep, she reflexively raised her hand and waved back. She almost cringed when it dawned on her that Yang had been staring right at her as she had done that.

"Oh my god, that is just the cutest. That's all I needed," Yang giggled.

"They have been getting along rather well," chimed in a new voice, causing all four girls to swivel around.

Captain Korva stood, hand against her hip, directly behind Yang and Ruby. The start had made Yang make a few reflexive steps back, which unintentionally gave her a better view of the woman. She was only a few inches taller than Yang herself, but there was something, a quality she couldn't grasp at, that made her seem so much larger than she was. Her vibrant red hair briefly flashed an image of Pyrrha through her mind. That obviously wasn't it, but it didn't hurt her commanding aura in the least.

"Oh, hey Captain," greeted Ruby.

"I thought I might formally introduce myself to the rest of your team," she said pleasantly. "Better to do it now than in the field."

She extended her hand to Yang, as she was the closest.

"I'm Captain Korva, leader of Ranger team Saber. You are Yang, I would guess?"

Yang nodded. "That's right. Was Ruby talking about us?"

"She was. I wanted to familiarize myself a bit before we met in person, and she was kind enough to inform me," she answered, then turned to Blake. "I suppose that would make you Blake…at the risk of sounding foolish, I couldn't help but notice you have cat ears."

"I'm a Faunus," Blake replied, resolve backing her voice. "Will that be a problem?"

"I'm sorry, Captain," interjected Ruby. "I kind of left that part out since she's usually pretty good at hiding it, and some people, you know, don't…I mean, not that I was assuming you were like that, I just thought it could wait until after the mission…"

Ruby trailed off under Korva's gaze. The Captain looked from her back to Blake.

"There are many strange things I've seen today," she said. "Most of them from you girls. I won't pretend to know what exactly it is that's going on, and as of right now it's not a top priority. All that matters to me is that you are able to help close that breach. Ruby has vouched for you, so I am inclined to believe you are."

She turned back to Ruby.

"We'll be heading out soon. I'll trust you to catch them up to speed on anything they need."

Ruby nodded back.

"Good, file back into the APC's in five. You four will ride together with Dmitry. Jay will be accompanying the scouts."

With that she walked off, meeting back up with Malik and heading in the direction of Jay.

"Well," said Yang after a moment of silence. "She seems nice?"

"She doesn't seem to have a problem with Faunus at least," remarked Blake. "That's something."

"Actually," said Ruby. "I need to ask her one more thing. I'll be back in a second."

Her aura flared back up into a thin protective layer as she returned to the rain, the droplets sliding neatly off the translucent barrier, never striking her clothes or exposed skin. She splashed across the street, catching up with the Ranger and falling in by her side.

"Captain Korva," Ruby spoke, causing the older woman to slow her pace and look back.

"Did you need something?"

"Yeah, um…Captain, I wanted to apologize."

Korva shook her head.

"I understand why you didn't tell me about your teammate. You were putting the mission first, it was good leadership thinking."

"No, it wasn't that," Ruby clarified. "It was about the trip here. I'm not sure what it was, but I feel like I might have upset you back in the APC. I-"

Korva put up her hand, gesturing for her to stop, which she did mid-sentence. She obeyed, and Korva set the hand on her shoulder.

"Go join your team, Ruby," she said, softer than her normal military tone.

"Be prepared. As a team leader, you're helping me to command this mission. I need your help for this."

Due to the disparity between her young age and her position, Ruby was accustomed to being talked down to. To being treated like a child, and "thrown bones" one might say. She'd become quite adept at figuring out when someone wasn't taking her seriously.

The Captain was not one of those people.

Even professor Ozpin, one of the only people to put near constant faith in her abilities, approached her as a mentor, a guiding hand. Benevolent and well meaning, but above her. Captain Korva was different; her words were genuine, but her tone was not that of a commanding officer to a subordinate, or an elder to a juvenile. She spoke as a leader, speaking to a fellow leader. A peer.

Ruby had long ago earned her team's respect, but found her position afforded her little notice from her teachers or other adults she interacted with. The seriousness with which Korva treated her was continually unexpected. It was motivating; the desire to remain a valued colleague now drove her to command her team with new passion.

She nodded emphatically.

"You can count on me, Captain."

"I know I can," she replied. "You have a leader's eyes."

With that she strode off again, and Ruby did the same, snapping back to reality a moment later, heading back in the opposite direction.

Once back, the girls decided to head for their designated vehicle, since they would be leaving soon anyway. The four approached the APC, Dmitry still sitting just beyond the threshold of the hatch. He gave another wave as they approached, and Yang bounded up to him, ahead of the other three.

She extended her fist in front of her, expectantly. Dmitry recognized the social cue, and returned the favor, meeting her fist with his.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed happily. She had honestly wanted to hug him for helping to look after Ruby, but after what she'd observed earlier, she decided a fist-bump would have to suffice.

"Thanks for keeping my sister and Weiss out of trouble."

Dmitry shook his head, gestured to Ruby and Weiss, and then patted his bicep.

"Dang, you were right, he really doesn't talk," she commented, earning her a jab in the side from Blake.

"Oh, uh, I mean, not that that's a bad thing."

Blake sighed and ushered her aside.

"I apologize for her, she talks without thinking sometimes," the Faunas said, extending a polite hand forward, which Dmitry took. "I'm Blake, and that was Ruby's sister, Yang. We're the other half of team RWBY, as I'm sure you gathered."

He nodded. He eyed the girl's strange ears from behind his mask, but guessed that the Captain had probably already brought it up when she spoke with them not a minute ago. They _did_ seem like conversation starters. He fought back his curiosity and decided to let it go.

"Yes, well," interjected Weiss. "While we have the time, Dmitry, I was hoping to speak with you privately. If you'll excuse us."

She didn't wait for any of her team to reply, and instead took Dmitry by the sleeve, and took him further down the street, past the APCs. Dmitry was confused, unsure if he'd offended her or her friends in some way. She released him after they'd gone beyond earshot of the others.

"I apologize for dragging you back into the rain," she muttered.

Dmitry shrugged. He was already soaked, and would continue to be. However much the rain irritated him in the back of his mind, it was a fact he would have to deal with until the completion of the mission. It was no big deal.

"I don't want to presume to know you," she began. "We've known each other for a very short time, but regardless, I feel the need to ask if something is wrong. Your attitude during the ride here, given the mission we're embarking on, is concerning. You seemed agitated, distracted, on edge."

Dmitry had honestly hoped she'd have let that go. He shook his head and waved it off, heading back to the awning.

"Don't patronize me," she snapped. "I may not know you, but I do know dishonesty when I see it."

He stopped mid-step. He gave a silent sigh, and turned back to face her, pointing up. Weiss followed his finger to the sky.

"The sky?" she asked.

Dmitry brought four fingers down again and again.

"The rain?"

He nodded.

"Why does the rain bother you so much?"

He shrugged. It was the first time his reluctance –no, refusal to speak, had actually frustrated her.

"Fine," she sighed, quelling her temper. "You certainly don't have to explain yourself to me. This won't be a problem during the mission?"

He shook his head.

"Do you promise me?"

He nodded.

"Good enough," she replied after a moment, walking past him.

Dmitry was bothered by the fact that he'd worried her, and even more-so that she seemed disappointed with him. It was not often that he felt uncomfortable with his own silence, but he couldn't help in that moment but feel that his silence had been wrong. The conversation left him almost more agitated than the pouring rain.

* * *

Despite the less pleasant nature of their talk, Weiss still sat next to Dmitry when time came to leave, though they'd not spoken during the trip. He supposed there was not much reason to, there had been more important things to do, like catch Blake and Yang up on the whole of their plan, which Ruby had explained as they hummed along down the highway.

Now, however, the time for preparation was over. RWBY, Saber and Indigo each knew their duties, and the wall was no longer a distant strip along the horizon, but an endless, towing monolith. The Ural wall stretched far off into the distance in either direction, and stood two-hundred meters tall.

In the shadow of the metallic titan, a small, boxy facility stood some distance off the highway, only accessible from a gravel path and surrounded by chain-linked fence and barbed wire. The three vehicles pulled up via the path, their personnel off-loading.

1st Sergeant Killer and another of his engineers took to the main gate, quickly overcoming the electrical lock, allowing access to the yard beyond. The group approached the building, engineers falling behind the Rangers and Huntresses.

Ruby drew Crescent Rose and took a knee, the massive rifle unfolded, shouldered and aimed at the door. Blake unsheathed Gambol Shroud, the sword folding in on itself to take its pistol mode. The Faunus took similar aim. Korva and Jay were pressed against either side of the door, while Dmitry, Malik, and X-Ray covered their six at the gate. Weiss and Yang stuck close to Indigo.

Korva nodded to Jay, who grabbed the door-handle, flinging it open with a great push. Ruby and Blake maintained trigger-discipline as the tension led to silence. A moment passed, and the two Rangers pushed forward into the building.

Ruby kept waiting for some crack of gunfire, or yell. None came, and Jay re-appeared in the doorway, giving a thumbs up.

Indigo, Weiss and Yang followed closely, headed into the building. Dmitry and company pulled back from the gate to the door, meeting briefly with Ruby before she headed inside, summoned by Jay. Blake remained with those guarding the entrance. With the yard and facility both reasonably secured, it allowed the group to begin their next moves.

"Sergeant," said Korva as Keller came through the door. "We have enough personnel that I believe we can split our group down the middle, and achieve both our tasks together. As the breach is more of a priority, I'd like you to head to the wall. As much as I would prefer to join you, I don't think it wise to group our team leadership too tightly. My second in command, Malik, will join you instead."

He nodded.

"DeMarco!" he called. "We're splittin' up, you're in charge! York, Goldstein, Hoshi, you're with me! Everyone else, hand them your explosives, then hold down the fort 'till I get back! Get to work on them guns!

As the selected engineers readied themselves and filed back out, Korva turned to Ruby.

"I believe Yang and Blake would be better suited to the wall, do you agree?"

"Yang for sure," she agreed. "And Blake would probably have a better chance than me or Weiss, weapon-wise. We're staying back here then?"

"Yes. You, Weiss, Jay and I will stay to guard the engineers here while they repair the power transfer systems. Dmitry, Malik, Yang and Blake will escort Keller and his engineers into the wall to begin setting up the detonation. If all goes well, we'll call in Viper and exfil here after the job is done," she explained.

Yang pumped her fists together enthusiastically.

"Alright, we get to blow stuff up," she grinned. "I'll go tell them the good news."

"I'd like to go along to the wall too," said Weiss.

"Weiss," said Ruby. "Yang and Blake are better off going than us, they can handle it. You're more useful here; if something bad happens, your dust attacks can cover a lot of ground."

Whatever protest she might have offered was caught in her throat before it was given voice. Reluctantly, she conceded, and allowed for those who were designated to leave along their way.

Outside, Yang relayed the news to her teammate and Rangers. The masked soldiers accepted the orders without question, and Blake was fine with a course of action that concluded the mission more quickly. The trio from X-Ray had discussed their possible courses of action, and mostly through Young's urging, though Vin had eventually supported the idea, they scouts had elected to see the operation through to the end.

"If you're heading to the wall now," said the Specialist. "Then I'm onboard too. Rei and Vin work better together, so they can hang back. Would you guys mind an extra set of hands?"

Dmity and Malik, the ranking members of their half of the group, exchanged glances and mutually shrugged.

"I sure hope you're not claustrophobic," said Malik, turning back towards their small convoy.

Young smirked and looked back at this squad-mates.

"Well, I'll see you guys on the other side, then. Keep the Humvee warm for me," he said, before following the Rangers and Huntresses to the APCs.

Rei sighed as he watched him go.

"Yeah, pretty brave of him," said Vin.

"That asshole is gonna die."

* * *

If one were to stand next to the Ural wall and face it, you would have to stare straight up in order to see the sky. It was not only massively tall, though, but also almost excessively thick. In order to make room for its vast defensive arrays and sensor suites, the wall measured in, on average, at roughly one-hundred meters from front to back at its base. The end facing the Scar sloped, and at the top it was closer to sixty meters.

Maintenance hatches dotted the interior of the wall's base every kilometer, so it was not hard to find an entrance. Indigo squad each had digital copies of the wall's schematics, which along with the needed points of detonation, had the locations of the hatches marked as points of entry. The power transfer facility, while some distance away, was still visible on the horizon. They had approached the breach as closely as they safely could following the highway, but Grimm could be seen far ahead, and so it was decided to proceed the rest of the way through the wall itself.

Malik ordered the APC drivers back to the power facility, as it was too dangerous to wait outside on their own. They could come back with the rest of the convoy once the defense systems were back online and the charges were set.

The hatches were well hidden unless someone already knew they were there, and had very simplistic magnetic locks that were thankfully still operational. It didn't take Keller long to bypass them and drag the thick metal barrier open.

Dmitry and Malik both tapped their visors, flipping to night-vision as they peered into the threshold. The interior was near pitch black, and cramped. There was not an inch of space wasted, and very little of it was used for comfortable movement. As such, except for the occasional maintenance hub, the corridors would allow for single-file movement only –two people shoulder-to-shoulder if they were lucky, or desperate.

Yang was given goggles to help her see, as the engineers slipped theirs on. Blake, as a Faunus, had excellent night-vision on her own, and didn't require them.

"Yang," said Malik, the Captain having briefed him on their newest killer cheerleaders on the trip up. "You take point, I'll be right behind keeping an eye on motion sensors. Keller, you're behind me, you're our eyes in this maze. Dmitry, Young, and Blake cover the six, everyone else keep your ears open and heads down."

The blonde Huntress cocked Ember Celica and proceeded forward in a cautious fighting stance. Ruby had relayed the Captains words to her earlier about Grimm sometimes crawling into the walls. She wasn't about to be caught off-guard. Malik followed maybe a foot behind her, a dim glow at her back from his motion sensor.

"We'll need to find a vertical shaft up to level 21," instructed Keller. "Then head through sub-section C, and follow that for about three klicks."

Malik sighed. "I hope everyone brought their walking shoes."

Keller pointed down to the corridor directly in front of them.

"Down there, take the second left, then five junctions down there should be a ladder we can climb up."

As dark and confining at the interior workings of the Ural wall was, the one blessing was that it was dry. The outer plating was so think they'd hardly have thought it was raining if they'd not just come out of a downpour. Still, the power couldn't come back to the wall soon enough; the dark was inconveniencing at best.

Through the second left and down the five junctions, the ladder lay at the center of a four-way corridor intersection, just as Keller had said it would. As the point-girl, Yang figured she was the first up, and hopped into the ladder. From what he'd seen of Weiss and Ruby, he figured Yang and Blake would be fine, and Dmitry was a Ranger so he knew he'd be okay, but Malik was concerned for the endurance of the engineers and their scout friend. While they weren't scaling the whole wall –yet anyway, they'd eventually have to crest the arch and work their way to the other side- the climbing and long distance would be tiring, and even if they didn't run into any sort of threat along the way, there was still the danger of exhaustion, and a wall without power was not a good place to be exhausted.

He put it in the back of his mind for now. One step at a time, he thought to himself; first, climb the ladder, then get to the breach, deal with the rest as it comes.

The overall distance from the base of the wall to level 21 was about ninety meters up. Yang had to remember to pace herself, as she honestly could have cleared the ladder in half the time it was taking her comrades below her. Blake, similarly, was agitated by the perceived slower pace. Sticking together was the best and safest course of action, however, and Yang was the front line of defense for the group.

That being said, she did hoist herself upward more quickly as they reached their destination. She thought it best to ensure the surroundings were clear before the rest reached the top. The Huntress kicked off the ladder, bounded off the opposite shaft wall, and landed in an identical four-way junction as the one they had started from. She whirled around, fists raised, scanning ever entrance point.

As eerie as the darkness and overall silence was, there seemed to obvious threat, and Malik's motion tracker had yet to alert them either. For now, they were safe.

She made way as the rest of the team caught up, stepping into one of the corridors. One by one, they each hopped off the ladder and onto the surrounding junction. Blake stuck her landing, indicating everyone had now caught up.

Keller gestured toward the corridor Yang stood in.

"Down that one. Should be a straight shot to the breach, just have to keep a good pace. You get us there, and we'll do the hard part."

"Ladies first, right?" smirked Yang, hoping to keep the mood light for the trek ahead.

There would be plenty of walking and darkness more yet.

* * *

Ruby sat, perched atop the power transfer facility's roof, Crescent Rose once again folded out into its rifle form. The young girl scanned the horizon, almost hoping for some sort of threat to appear. The rolling distance so far had been nothing by dull gray, mud, and rain. She briefly thought of Vale; it was so much more colorful there. Everything was bright, vibrant, not like where she was now. Everything, from the mountains, to Kotova, Saranpaul, the wall, it all just seemed to blend into itself. It was almost depressing, like a totally different world.

Suddenly she felt herself becoming extremely homesick. She longed to see Beacon again, to exchange smalltalk with team JNPR across the hall, to spend weekends in Vale, she even missed getting mixed up in trouble and investigations, or even classes.

It could have been worse, she supposed. It could have just been her, out in the rain, all alone with nothing to do but sit and fight off the Grimm. Instead, she had her team with her, and allies willing to help them find a way back, once all the craziness they'd been swept up in was concluded. In that, she found comfort.

"Don't doze off, half-pint. Wouldn't do to have our overwatch napping."

The Huntress tore out of her thoughts and looked behind her. Despite the masks, Ruby had gotten good at telling the Rangers apart by their distinct voices, excepting Dmitry of course. That, and by the build, lack of hair, and massive weapon, the scythe wielder easily knew it was Jay who had climbed onto the roof to join her before she'd even turned.

"Oh, hey Jay," she greeted.

"Anything good?" she asked, gesturing toward the horizon.

Ruby shook her head.

"Nothing. Just a lot of rain and mud."

"Hmm," she grunted. "Well, we still got some time for something exciting. You never know with the Grimm."

Ruby returned to Crescent Rose's scope, and she could hear Jay's crunching steps as she shuffled about the roof. Jay reminded her of Yang most of all, always ready for a fight, very lively. Ruby had decided she was fond of all of Saber, but Korva and Jay she liked the most, she admitted to herself. Maybe it was rude to play favorites with people, but she felt she resonated better with the two women.

It definitely had nothing to do with Jay telling her she was cool.

"This thing brings back memories," the Ranger murmured to herself.

Ruby turned to look at her again. Jay was staring up at the wall which dominated the rear of the facility.

"You've been over the wall before?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, all Rangers have. Initiation, and some missions too. We hop on over the wall sometimes to clear out Grimm packs. There are people who actually still live out there, if you can believe it," she laughed.

"In the Scar?"

"Yeah," Jay nodded. "Some folks just plain old got left behind, as much as it sucks. It was before my time, but the old war against the Grimm was…rough. Dark times for just about everyone. The UNDF saw their chance to stuff those sonsabitches in a locker and they took it. We're stronger now, but nobody is sure an even longer fight against the Grimm back then would have ended well for us."

"Others just didn't like the UNDF walling shit off," she continued. "Thought they should keep fighting to get it all back, and when they didn't, those people decided, 'fuck it', and went out there to prove a point I guess. Some settlements are still around, some got demolished by the Grimm; the Rangers swing by to help them out since the UNDF won't."

It wasn't such an odd thing, Ruby supposed. There were, after all, several villages in every kingdom well outside the walls of the cities. Though on Remnant it was a necessity; space was precious in the kingdoms, and there was only so much room for everyone to live in, and only so many jobs behind the walls. Not enough for everyone as the population grew, so many people built communities outside the walls. The Hunters took much responsibility for these communities, and did much the same as the Rangers to help them, such as clearing Grimm herds.

The only difference was that living beyond the walls didn't seem necessary here. Kotova had been the only major city she'd seen so far, and beyond there was nothing but open land up to the wall. There seemed no shortage of space, and all of it would, under better circumstances, be free for the using, free of Grimm. The only explanation that was at least probable then, was that the people on the other side were indeed doing it based on principle.

She'd heard of worse reasons to do things. She did, however, briefly find amusement in the idea of humans caging the Grimm up behind walls, instead of how it seemed to be on the rest of Remnant. When everything was over, and they finally got their bearings on where they were in the world, Ruby hoped maybe Vale and the other kingdoms could be allies with the UNDF and the Rangers. Maybe someday all of Remnant could be like it was there; the Grimm put away, left to their own little corners of the world where they couldn't hurt anyone.

Ruby hoped to see Remnant like that one day. Maybe then she and Yang could go exploring like they'd always wanted to.

The spirits on the roof were raised, but beneath, boredom and anxiousness took hold.

Weiss leaned up against one of the walls, watching the engineers work intently. She hadn't an accurate guess of how long they'd been working, but already it felt too long. She was no technician, and could only guess at what they were doing, but they seemed thoroughly engrossed in the problem at hand. Occasionally some stray sparks would fly below the floor-panels where bound together wires ran like a stream, connected to this or that, or disappearing into another panel entirely. There was also the incessant clacking of fingers against keyboards, and the interspersed mummers of 'try it now' or 'let me switch this'.

Ruby stood watch on the roof, and the scouts from X-Ray that had stayed behind manned their Humvee's mounted turret near the front gate. The APC's also parked off the flank of the building, their armaments further compounding the teams. They were quite secure in their position, and no threat had yet to rear its head, but a gnawing worry loomed over the heiress.

She hypothesized that it may partially be due to their comrades off to part unknown, and she was right. Being separated from Yang and Blake after reuniting so soon left a bad taste in her mouth, regardless of the necessity. That, and Malik and Dmitry –the whole of Saber, had become valued allies since their meeting atop the mountains, which seemed so very long ago to her now, despite it having been only a handful of hours. Stressing must have warped her perception of time.

There was something more to it though. She found herself pondering the peculiar nature of their arrival on earth, as she'd heard the general refer to it once during their meeting with him. How far away in relation to Remnant were they? Were they warped through space? Was it something more, like crossing dimensions, realities? She'd never considered the Grimm to be anywhere other than Remnant, and that too laid a number of existential questions at her feet. All of it seemed out of some novel, a bad movie, the kind Jaune would be excited for.

Dear god, she was actually missing Jaune? She really was stressing too much.

She needed some sort of distraction from her present chain of thought. It wouldn't do to obsess over what she couldn't change, and she really didn't want to think about Jaune. The Captain was the only other person in the room that wasn't actively fawning over the mess of computer and electrical equipment. She casually approached the older woman who was looking on at the scrambling engineers.

"I don't suppose this will be over quickly?" asked Weiss.

Korva paid her a short glance before returning her gaze to the work.

"I won't pretend to be an engineer," she replied. "I haven't a clue. However I've learned that when dealing with specialists like these, it's of no help to pester them with questions while they work. Interruptions only make the waiting longer."

The logic couldn't be argued with, though Weiss would still feel better with some sort of time-frame to work with.

"I should thank you, while you're here," the Captain spoke.

Weiss looked up to her quizzically.

"Why is that?"

"You seem to have connected with Dmitry quite well. He's not a social person, especially given his silence. It makes me glad you do not judge him for it."

Given her recent frustration with the Ranger over just that, the compliment stung slightly.

"Do you know why he's like that?" she asked the Captain.

"I do not," she admitted. "He has never seen fit to explain it, and I'll not pry. It doesn't affect his skills as a Ranger, and until it does, I see no reason to force one out of him."

"Has he…have you ever noticed his reaction to rain?"

Korva nodded.

"It seems to make him anxious, yes. Again, it doesn't-"

"–Doesn't affect his skills, so you won't pry," Weiss finished.

The Captain made no reply. The Huntress mentally kicked herself for interrupting. Rude, she chided herself.

Korva, however, was nonplussed.

"I appreciate your concern for him. I understand you would rather have gone to the wall, but I would prefer to divide your team's skills equally to be safe, and Ruby was correct, your weapon and fighting style, as hers, lends itself better to open spaces."

The heiress folded her arms with a quiet sigh.

"Who said that was my reason for wanting to go?"

"I didn't mean to imply it was the only one," she replied. "Though it seemed reasonable to guess it was among them."

"Well…"

The lights above them suddenly flickered, and a dull whirring resounded beneath their feet. This was followed by several cheers from the engineers, who were high-fiving each other as they stood, and began replacing the paneling.

"Did you do it?" asked Korva.

The engineer that had been left in charge, DeMarco, nodded her head.

"Took a bit of re-wiring and resetting the system a few times, but we're in the green. The wall's guns should be pounding like angel's drums any second now."

Korva looked to Weiss with a smirk.

"Well, let's finish saving the day, shall we?"

Half the job was now done, and soon the crisis would be on its way to being over. Weiss, for once, was actually glad at how easy and non-eventful things had unfolded.

Which made the sudden explosion heard just outside the walls, and the subsequent gun-fire and piercing, whining shrieks and horrible hisses all that much more disappointing to hear.

* * *

The silence of the long, dark walk down the sub-section C corridor was shattered as if made of thin glass. Thunderous booms and rapid cracks could be heard far to their right, though layers of metal walls. Thankfully the weapons bays of the wall were sealed behind sound-resistant layering, so as to avoid hearing damage to those within the walls who may be working as a weapon discharged. Even through them however, artillery cannon fire and .50 caliber rounds were loud, and their fury could not be drowned out completely.

The walls and floors seemed to shake with their combined might, and none of the group wanted to be the Grimm on the receiving end of such a volley.

"Well, at least we know they're okay," muttered Malik. "How much longer, Keller?"

The Sergeant was eyeing his schematics closely.

"We're almost there, we've been making good time. The first primary support should be directly to our left when we reach the end, through a junction."

"Do we really have enough explosives to do this?" asked Yang. "It seems pretty massive."

"Trust me, it ain't just about how much you got, but where you put it," said Keller, voice full of confidence. "These here charges pack a helluva wallop, and they're fusion based, so they burn like the goddamn sun. All we gotta do it take out the primary supports, and the secondary stress bearers next to em in a neat and tidy order, and then boom, the whole thing collapses into its own weight and we got ourselves a nice, makeshift barrier."

Yang nodded to herself. The engineers at least seemed to know exactly what they were doing, so with any luck, the whole mess would be over with within the hour. Then she could see Ruby again, and they could try to find a way home. She wondered how long they'd been gone. Were their friends and teachers at Beacon looking for them? Was their dad worried? Well, that was a stupid question; their dad worried about a lot of things, and they were of course one of them. She'd just have to make sure to get home to all of them in one piece.

That meant taking out the stupid wall.

She felt a nudge against her back, and looked over her shoulder at Malik.

"Hey, you all there?" he asked. "You seemed like you were spacing."

"Right, sorry. Just thinking about Ruby, that's all. I'll stay focused."

He nodded, accepting her word.

"She's your sister, right?"

"How'd you know?"

"I just know the look," Malik shrugged. "I've got a little sister too, so I can relate. Don't worry about her though. I've seen her in action, she's a force of nature. Just do your part, and you'll see her again."

"Right."

"You just-"

Malik's words stopped short as he halted his movement. The rest of the group did the same as he stared into his motion tracker's monitor. Nothing happened, nothing moved; everyone just sat tight, waiting for Malik to say something.

"That's the second time it picked something up, and then the readings just vanish," he muttered. "There was more this time too."

The Ranger sighed. The sensor couldn't seem to make up its mind as to whether they were alone or surrounded. His senses, however, told him that for the moment, there was no danger, and when it doubt, senses were usually the better bet.

"Keep moving, but stay alert; who knows what might be crawling around in here."

Hesitantly, the group moved forward again, dead silent as they had been before. The pounding of the guns continued, but lessened as they approached the breach, where the weapons were far too damaged to function. The vibrations could still be felt, like a heartbeat, pulsing sound through the corridors and walls.

Yang could swear she could hear the walls breathe.

In the back of the line, Dmitry, Young, and Blake pulled up the rear. The reverberation of the gun's recoil was agitating the Faunus' sensitive ears. Her discomfort drew the young Ranger's attention, as she occasionally massaged her forehead. She noticed his looks and waved it off.

"I'm okay," she hissed. "Just got a bit of a headache. Four ears will do that. I just wasn't expecting it to be so loud; I'm using some aura to protect them now, it shouldn't be a problem."

Blake sighed, massaging her forehead.

"That clicking isn't helping either, though."

The pounding Dmitry understood, so many cannons and guns, even behind protective layers, were still almost unbearably loud for those with only two ears. He could hear them just fine himself. However…there was no clicking. None that he could hear.

He let his rifle slump on its strap, freeing both hands. After grabbing her attention, he pounded his fist against his open palm, then nodded. He then tapped his index finger against the same open palm, and shook his head.

Blake narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"What?"

"I think he means the clicking," chimed in Young. "And I'll be honest, I don't hear it either. Are you sure your ears aren't just ringing?"

"How do you not hear it? It feels like it's right over us."

The group stopped again, the beeping of the motion tracker once again causing Malik to devote his full attention to it.

"Alright, screw my senses then, there's definitely something here," he grunted. "My readings say they're…on top of us? Around us too?"

"Think that thing might be busted?" chuckled Keller.

Dmitry was not so sure it was wrong. He gripped his rifle, and, on a hunch, looked directly above him and Blake. The silent Ranger wasn't able to immediately identify anything on the ceiling, but a slight, very fast skitter suddenly solidified the image for him. A spider-like Grimm, eight bladed and barbed legs coming together on a narrow body, a bulbous abdomen with jagged red markings, and a small white plate over his multi-eyed head, razor fangs twitching. Its size was comparable to that of an average household dog.

Upon realizing what he was looking at, he did not hesitate the pull the trigger of his rifle, blasting the disgusting beast full of chemically propelled lead. It hissed pathetically and fell between him and Blake, crumbled and dead.

The sudden burst of gunfire made the whole of the group jump and look back. They each took a look down, seeing the dead Grimm. That was when, even against the thundering of cannons, the corridor was filled with nothing but the sounds of angered hissing, and claws piercing through metal.

* * *

"Get out of there you fucking idiot!"

Over the cries of the suddenly present Grimm, and the cracking on gunfire from Jay and Ruby, Weiss and Korva were greeted with the admittedly girlish screams of Vin, as the Humvee was being lifted up by its front. The scout clung uselessly to the mounted gun as his partner yelled for him to abandon the vehicle.

With a clumsy, screaming leap, Vin landed gut first on the dirt as the Humvee was flipped over completely. One of the APC's was completely totaled, and the other was limping about on several damaged wheels, firing its automated weapons at the perusing Grimm.

The Grimm in question were of a long, lithe, tube-ish nature. Their jaws split open at three points, creating a massive gaping mouth with two separate sets of crushing, razor teeth which seemed to extend most of the way down their throats. They lacked any limbs, and burrowed through the earth with extreme strength.

Korva recognized them immediately, identifying them as –aptly enough named- Wurms. Weiss realized their familiarity after a moment as well, though they went by the name of Sifters on Remnant, and generally populated the vast desert which spanned southern Vytal between Vale and Vaccuo. She'd not realized they had variations in the species that allowed for such movement in typical soil.

It was impossible to tell how many there were exactly, though it was safe to say at least a dozen. Two lay dead in the yard, both from well-placed sniper rounds from Crescent Rose if the lack of heads told Weiss anything. Rei and Vin traded short bursts with a pursing Wurm, though it was quickly closing the gap.

The heiress burst forth and pierced the Wurm's skull through with Myternaster as it came down on its arc to re-enter the ground. One fluid yank of the sword pulled it free, and threw the Wurm to the ground.

Vin barked out a thanks as he and Rei took a position closer to the building. Ruby jumped down from the roof to join her partner, deciding she was better off engaging the Grimm in close quarters. They were much too fast to waste time trying to snipe them.

A trio of the Wurms burst up from the ground, but were decapitated with one whirling swipe from Ruby. Weiss on the other hand, rushed to aid the APC drivers, who had managed to run one of the Wurm's over, and were attempting to blast the two chasing them with their mounted turret, though they were having little luck.

The Huntress leapt high onto the top of the vehicle, the drivers ceasing the turret fire upon her arrival. The revolving dust chambers of the Myternaster spun and clicked, landing on a blue marker. Weiss leapt again, plunging her rapier into the ground where the Wurms were in the process of burrowing. The surrounding soil suddenly became solid ice, trapping the Grimm within. After a moment their threshing tails ceased moving.

The Rangers, while finding difficulty with the fast prey, still made an excellent go of it. The very nature of Jay's weapon allowed for a margin of error in accuracy, and the rounds it fired powerful enough that only a few making contact would ensure the shredding of the target. As such, any Wurm that closed in on the yard was sure to feel at least a wounding bite, if not fall entirely.

Korva once again sunk into her decades of experience, and placed her shots well. A few went wide, the swerving and juking nature of their opponents providing difficult to gain a bead on. She cut down a Wurm that was making its way towards Ruby, but was surprised by a second that made a lunge directly at her from the left. On instinct she rolled forward, dodging the strike. The Wurm corrected its trajectory before reaching the earth, and swerved its long body after the Ranger.

Regaining her balance, Korva swiveled around and struck the incoming Grimm with the butt of her rifle. It did little actual harm, but allowed her to re-direct the attack enough to let her side-step away. While the Wurm re-oriented itself, the Captian blasted into the beast's midsection, severing its spine and causing it to fall limp.

The threat neutralized, she turned to Rei and Vin who were taking pot-shots at approaching Wurms form a distance.

"You two, cover me, I'm going for the Humvee!"

Before either of them could question why, she bolted across the chaos, leaving them with only her orders. Despite their confusion, they couldn't very well disobey an order for cover fire, and so advanced steadily some distance behind her, trying to draw the attention of the Wurms in the vicinity.

Thankfully the Humvee, while overturned, hadn't sustained much damage beyond the front bumper. The Ranger threw open the door, but the airbags had deployed upon its overturning, and so Korva was forced to abandon her rifle, and draw her knife, a classic bowie, and deflate the obstructing safety devices.

Her path more or less clear, she dove in, reaching for the radio, which proved slightly difficult the use upside down, but was still functional, which was the important part. She switched the frequency to match that of Viper 3-18; she had no idea just how far out the pilot was, though she knew he was be on station, and so decided to not take chances, and use the more powerful Humvee radio, as opposed to their portable comms.

"Saber team to Viper 3-18, do you read Viper 3-18? Over."

A moment of silent static later, the relieving voice of the pilot crackled through from the other end.

"_Captain, this is Viper. How can I be of assistance? Over."_

Korva almost chanced a grin.

"Viper, we have hostiles and our vehicles are damaged. We need air support and dust-off, ASAP. Over."

"_Roger that, Captain. I've been hanging a few klicks south-west; I've got your signal locked in. ETA, seven minutes. Over and out."_

Air support now on the way, it was time to abandon the Humvee. She couldn't have finished the call at a more opportune time; as she let go of the radio, another Wurm crashed through the windshield.

The Ranger fell flat onto her back against the roof of the Humvee, leaving the Grimm to bite into the seat behind her. Chunks of seat flying about as the Wurm pulled back, Korva struck out with her just-drawn knife, a classic bowie, and pierced the side of the creature's head with both hands. The blade gleamed through its jaw, and it hissed and squealed in pain.

The Wurm's strength, however, could not be denied, and it thrashed into the dashboard overhead, slamming Korva's arms into it and breaking her grip on the knife. She threw herself into a roll to the opposite side, predicting the Grimm's next move, which was a downward snap of its jaws. An opening presented, she did the only thing she could do, and grabbed onto the creature's neck, retaking the hilt of the knife, dragging and twisting it as much as she could.

Its thrashing intensified, thankfully banging the Captain mostly against the seats, until suddenly it cried a death-shriek, and flopped to the ground. This confused Korva, as she knew for a fact she'd not struck a fatal blow. Yanking the bloody knife from the jaw of the Wurm, she pulled herself out of the vehicle, only to see the rear half of the Grimm completely cut in half, a concerned teenage scythe wielder standing next to it.

Behind her, Weiss chased half a dozen Wurms off into the distance with her dust, the rest having gone quiet.

"Are you alright, Captain?" she asked.

Korva looked to Ruby approvingly as she cleaned her blade.

"It's been a while since I've tussled with a Grimm that close," she laughed. "I feel thirty again."

The Huntress smiled at the joke.

"Bloody tarts are running off. Guess we won't need the air support after all," said Vin, panting and visibly shaking slightly.

Just then a rumble shook the victors almost off their feet. At first they mistook it for an earthquake, but then they noticed a bulge, a large bulge, in the ground. One that seemed to be moving from the south toward them at considerable speed.

"Everyone get to the APC," said Korva, her voice tense.

Ruby looked at her in confusion.

"Wha-"

"Get to the APC now, everyone! Everyone file out, Jay, get down and go!"

It wasn't often that fear or anxiousness ever crept into Captain Korva's voice, so Jay knew not to ask questions. She leapt down from the roof, the engineers, having heard Korva over the radio, following close behind her out of the transfer facility. Weiss, already near the vehicle, stepped aside to allow those approaching access.

As the last of them cleared the front gate, the ground exploded a few meters away from the building they had been inhabiting, and a throaty, guttural roar filled the air.

When the debris cleared, a Wurm, multiple times the size and length of the foes they had just dispatched, swayed meters tall above them. It turned towards the group as they jumped into their only means of escape, and roared again, the sound chilling the blood of all who heard it. The object of its fury located, it lunched forward as the APC skidded against the gravel road and sped away, a shadow of its former speed, but enough to take them to momentary safety.

Their only hope now was to proceed south and pray they intercepted Viper 3-18. As the carrier, with all its remaining mechanical might, tried to escape its pursuer, Rei turned to Vin.

"If I was the kind of guy who believed in jinxes," he growled. "I would be shooting you right now."

* * *

Amidst the hissing of lethal arachnids, the squeals of metal plates rended by razor appendages, and the fading booms of cannons, automatic gunfire and the thumping of shotguns could be heard.

"If I didn't hate spiders before, then I do now!" yelled Yang, pounding her fist into a leaping spider, the firepower of her gauntlet exploding the creature in two.

The nine ran full speed down the hallway, Yang furiously pulverizing any spider managing to claw its way out of the walls ahead of them. Dmitry, Young and Blake trailed behind, trading turns firing into the mass of multi-legged Grimm forming in their wake.

"Keller, distance?" shouted Malik, barely keeping pace with Yang, who was doing her job almost a little too well.

"Just ahead!" he replied. "If we don't stop, we'll get there in about a minute! Once we're through I can seal the junction off now that the power's back!"

"You heard him people, we stop for nothing! Yang, keep hitting like a freight train!"

In spite of the dire straits, Yang found it in her to smirk. She wound up another punch, splattering Grimm fluids across the wall.

"On that, I can deliver!"

Ahead, Yang could see the end of the long corridor. Four more spiders tore through the wall plating, blocking of their escape from the horde behind them. Yang charged further ahead and fired off multiple charged bolts from her gauntlets. The fiery projectiles lanced down the hallway, overwhelming the leaping foes and tearing them to pieces.

Crossing through the threshold, she didn't event stop, not daring to hold up the line behind her. Instead she leapt to the ladder in the center, and bounded off it to the corridor Keller had indicated they would be proceeding down.

One-by-one the group filed through, Keller immediately skidding around the doorway to a small control panel. Blake bounded through with cat-like agility, signaling the engineer that everyone was through. A few quick button presses, and a thick hatch door slammed closed from above, sealing the corridor off.

"Jesus," panted York. "What were those things?"

"Widows," answered Malik. "Must have been resting in the walls until the vibrations of the defense systems woke them up. That was when I started getting the readings."

"That door won't hold them long," Keller panted. "We need to move now. Just down there through the next junction."

Yang turned wordlessly, jogging down the meters through the junction. On the other side, the corridors suddenly stopped proceeding forward, and instead only split off left and right from a larger room that was comparable to the junctions, but lacked the vertical entryways. The only distinct feature was bulge in the wall that the Huntress concluded must be concealing the primary support.

"Alright," called Keller. "I'll grab this one. York, help me out. Goldstein, left, Hoshi right, get the secondaries."

"Yang, with Goldstein, Blake, with Hoshi," ordered Malik. "Dmitry, Young, watch that corridor."

A silent chorus of nods followed, and the group split up appropriately. York slid off his backpack, and handed Keller several semi-spherical metallic devices, roughly the size of a human hand. The charges snapped to the metal of the walls tightly, and the engineer twisted the both of them, causing a small red light on the center of the dome to begin blinking intermittently.

With them placed, Keller looked back down at his tablet, tapping it a few times. The temporarily absent members of their party returned, reporting their job completed. After a moment he nodded.

"Alright, charges are synched."

"Good," breathed Malik. "Where to now?"

Still looking at his tablet, Keller scrolled through the schematics.

"There's another cluster of secondary supports further down and running central through the wall, and the second primary is directly opposite of us."

"Okay. Dmitry," he called. "Take Keller, York, Young and Blake, and head to the next primary. I'll take the other two and Yang to grab the secondaries."

Dmitry and Keller nodded. The screech of peeling metal pierced through the stale air.

"I'll seal the rest of the junction off as we pass through it," said the engineer. "That door sounds like it's about to give. We'll meet up again a few levels up, Goldstein and Hoshi will know where to go."

"Agreed, let's get moving."

The group proceeded back the way they came, the sealed junction door shredded and very nearly breached. The hissing of the Widows were loud as ever. Keller sealed the door they had just passed through, and the door which Malik and his team used when they departed. Finally, as Dmitry ushered the last of their own team through, Keller slammed closed the final hatch.

Young sighed in relief.

"That should buy us some time."

"We should still assume there's more," warned Blake. "It's much quieter here, I'll keep my ears open."

Dmitry nodded, and took point, Keller falling in behind him to guide the way. The Ranger silently hoped that their friends at the transfer station were faring better than they were.

It seemed death was suddenly around every corner.

* * *

_A Ranger is not a solider, though they may fight,_  
_ A Ranger is not a commander, though they may lead,_  
_ A Ranger is not a medic, though they may heal,_  
_ A Ranger is not an engineer, though they may build,_  
_ A Ranger is not a pilot, though they may fly,_  
_ A Ranger is not a spy, though they may observe,_  
_ A Ranger is not an assassin, though they may kill silently,_  
_ A Ranger is not a hero, though they may stand tall,_  
_ A Ranger is not a martyr, though they may die,_  
_ And so the question must be asked;_  
_ What is a Ranger?_  
_ A Ranger is someone who,_  
_ When all others reply "I cannot, I will not."_  
_ Reply, "I can. I will." _

**_– "A Ranger Is", Alexi Medvedev_**


	5. Chapter 5: I've Had Worse

"'_Tis but a scratch!_"  
_  
_–The Black Knight, Monty Python and the Holy Grail

.

**Chapter 5: I've Had Worse**

The rain refused to let up over the grassy lands outside Kotova. The ground was soggy, its durability inconsistent, and thunder rolled through the clouds above. Lightning was in the distance. Nature's wrath was, however, momentarily trumped by the fury of man-made weaponry.

Major Wilhelm pumped his legs as hard as he was able amidst the fire of mobile-artillery cannons, tank shells, and missiles streaking through the sky. His Chimera had taken some hits from a Blackbird on its way back from the front, and after a less than comfy landing, he elected to continue to the command tent on foot. His adrenaline pumped through his veins, making him nearly oblivious to the four-legged M9 Jotun combat-walker currently stepping over him. What little shadows that could be cast fell over him as the 240 metric ton metallic beast stomped its way through the mud and rain.

He could recognize the familiar defensive barricades up ahead, and rushed on forward. He waved to the camp guards, who waved back in recognition of his approach. The rain beat harder against him as he closed in on the flaps to the tent.

Colonel Biko looked up upon the entrance's disturbance.

"Gregor," he sighed in relief, his friend caked in mud and a little blood, but alive. "I'd feared the worst when you dropped out of contact. Are you alright?"

The Major nodded. "I am, though travel by air didn't agree with me. Things are going as well as could be expected as far as I could observe, despite the mess our communications are in at the moment. The Grimm are caught up in the river, the artillery and armor are chewing them up, but the troops are not for want of targets."

"Were you able to see anything regarding the wall?"

"Even with the observation equipment, nothing in detail, we couldn't move too far past the front," he admitted. "We could have circled about on a flank, but that would have taken too much time. I can at least confirm the weapons systems have been reactivated. From up there it was hard to miss that many flashes, even with the lightning. I'm not sure how many Grimm we've managed to pull from the breach, but the optimist in me would like to believe many, considering the situation east."

Biko nodded solemnly, but he'd far from lost hope. Their combat effectiveness would only last so long; the defense systems online was half the job done, but the real prize had yet to be obtained. If Saber didn't work fast, the 3rd Brigade would find themselves overwhelmed and have to chance a retreat. If only he had more resources to work with, but Kotova was still besieged from the outskirts, and it was a large perimeter to maintain.

"The _Helena_ should be arriving soon," he reassured himself. "Or at least be in weapons range, though I get the feeling we'll need to make use of their marines sooner rather than later."

He turned back to Wilhelm.

"All we can do right now is keep stirring up a ruckus. Saber's already gotten the defenses online, they'll get the rest of the job done. All they need is breathing room. We'll keep any many Grimm as we can corralled here."

The Major nodded. "Of course, sir."

"Our Southern-most line sounded shaky last they reported in. I want you down there, keep things organized."

"Understood, though if it's all the same," he said, chancing a rattled laugh. "I'd prefer taking a Humvee this time."

* * *

.50 caliber bullets were generally the go-to size of rounds one would use when dealing with Grimm any larger than a Grizzly. Of course, some Grimm could be so tough or large that not even those would be enough. Things like Blackbirds, Kobras, Scorpios, and certain Alphas; when these were encountered, it was basic procedure to call in heavier weapons. Artillery, rockets, missiles, any would do. If you lacked these weapons, you ran as best you could.

Even a fresh officer knew this. There was no shame in retreating from an overwhelming foe, to mount more effective resistance as opportunities presented, especially when the lives of others were on your shoulders.

Captain Korva remembered these words as the APC she, and her half of their patch-work group occupied, limped along at less than optimum speed, the screaming Wurm Alpha behind them. The ground quaked with each impact the Grimm made with the earth, and every emergence was met with a shower of mud and soil.

Jay fired her LMG, and Ruby her rifle, for all the good it did, and the APC was outfitted with a mounted gun and a few micro-missiles, just a step up from smart-grenades. These weapons would shred baser Grimm, but the massive Alpha shrugged all attempts to resist it off. If they were doing it any harm, it was negligible.

"It's getting closer," shouted Vin. "Can't this thing go any faster?"

"Afraid not," replied the Captain.

"Well we're all boned if that things gets much closer," Rei growled. "Nothing we've got is doing the trick."

Jay glanced back between bursts of her LMG and scowled.

"Well, if you've got any bright ideas-"

Suddenly Ruby gasped.

"I have an idea!" she shouted. "We'll need room though, get up here Weiss!"

Korva nodded, and motioned for Jay to move back with her, giving Ruby and Weiss the rear of the cabin. The Huntresses had a good track record thus far of managing to pull Saber out of the fire. She had faith the girls would pull through again.

"What's the plan?" the heiress asked.

"Iceflower."

"Iceflower?" she asked incredulously.

"Iceflower," Ruby replied confidently.

"Ruby I don't think that's going to work on this thing," Weiss argued.

"Just trust me," was the younger huntresses' only reply.

Weiss sighed, but if Ruby was anything, she was creative. The Iceflower maneuver had been her idea after all, and they lost nothing by trying. The Wurm was gaining on them, and their current tactics were proving ineffective. They needed to try something.

"Alright, fine."

Ruby knelt down, shouldering Crescent Rose as Weiss took position off to her side.

"Set it up," Ruby ordered.

The white huntress spun Myternaster's dust chamber, landing on the white ice chamber, and thrust the blade forward, creating a bright, snowflake-like glyph at the foot of the cabin entrance. She held it there as Ruby aimed down her scope. The younger girl held her fire, waiting for an opportunity her older peer could not fathom.

The Alpha Wurm continued to rhythmically soar up and down from the earth, wrenching plant-life and soil from its appointed place into the air. It continued to draw closer, and Ruby had still not fired a shot.

"Ruby, if you're going-"

Ruby shushed her, continuing to focus down her scope.

She watched the Wurm crash back down into the earth. She had its timing, it kept a consistent pace of motion. Ruby continued to wait and counted the seconds until it came up again.

Like clockwork, only a handful of seconds later, the ground exploded, and the Alpha Wurm screamed back outward.

The beast's jaws flew wide open as it exited the ground, splitting the air with a horrific roar.

That was her moment.

Faster than Weiss or the Rangers had ever seen, Ruby cracked off five shots from Crescent Rose in a snap. Five blue projectiles lanced through the air, flash-freezing the rain as it pierced the space between the APC and the Wurm.

The first struck the Wurm's outer jaw, exploding into a large chunk of solid ice. The next two hit their mark, flying directly into the Wurm's mouth, striking the interior of its throat. The fourth impacted low, hitting the base of its mouth, the fifth flying true, and impacting even further into its throat.

The jagged ice-shards now occupying the Grimm's throat caused it break from its otherwise uninterrupted path, and thrash to the side, gagging.

"Hot damn!" exclaimed Jay.

Vin laughed wildly. "Damn good shot!"

The Wurm's pursuit ceased as it struggled against the ice-crystals jabbing and scraping at its innards. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief as the vehicle continued onward, the Grimm growing smaller in the distance as it dove back into the earth.

"I can't believe that worked," said Weiss.

Jay was laughing in the back as Indigo looked on in awe.

"These kids just keep getting weirder, and I fuckin' love them for it" she bellowed.

Korva leaned forward to the kneeling Ruby, placing a hand on her shoulder. The girl looked back at the Captain, who was smiling wryly.

"Good shooting."

Ruby smiled back at the praise.

"You as well, miss Schnee," she continued. "Well done, it seems we're in your debt yet again."

Weiss shied away from the compliment, and instead tried to maintain grim maturity.

"Has there been any word from Viper?" she asked.

"We can try to contact him on the APC's radio, provided it hasn't been damaged," she replied, looking to Jay and nodding toward the drivers seats.

She got up without a word, pushing up to the front of the vehicle. As she worked with the radio, the occupants of the cabin collectively sat back to catch their breaths. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, there was mostly silence, sans the rain, –which was now pouring even harder than before- and the roar of the strained engine.

"Do you think the others are alright?" asked Ruby.

Weiss glanced out the cabin hatch, still hanging open, the hydraulics likely damaged. Yang and Blake were probably fine, they were more than capable of dealing with whatever they might face, and they were within the wall.

The pouring rain brought Dmitry to her mind once again. She still felt bothered by not having gone to the wall. The Rangers, capable as they were, were still ordinary humans, still…she hated to use the word "fragile", since they were anything but, but compared to Hunters, that's how they seemed. She felt a worry for Dmitry, and Malik too she supposed, that she did not feel a necessity for towards Yang or Blake.

Regardless, she was glad she had been here. Had she not, the might have still been pursued by the Wurm.

Dmitry was a Ranger, she mentally lectured herself, and he could take care of himself. He would be fine without her.

"I'm sure they're already well underway with their mission," she replied. "By the time we reach them they may already be done."

"You think?"

"Malik and Dmitry are fine Rangers," said Korva. "With your teammates with them, I'm sure they have things well in hand."

Two knocks resounded on the cabin wall. All three looked over to Jay, who motioned for Korva to come forward.

"We raised Viper, boss."

"Good, I'll speak with him."

The Captain sat up from her seat, sliding past Jay as she returned to her seat. The radio lie between the two seats, the drivers faces masked by their helmets and visors, but they looked just as ragged as everyone else. The one in the passenger seat silently handed her the receiver, to which she nodded briskly.

"Viper 3-18, do you copy? Over."

"_Captain, good to hear from you again. I notice your signal's moving. Over."_

"We ran into more trouble than we anticipated, we had to lead the hostiles away from the transfer facility. Are you still en-route to us? Over."

"_Yeah, I've still got you pinged. I overshot you a little bit, but I should be within visual range in a min-" _

Korva didn't even hear the crash of earth, or even feel the impact for the first second or two. It was mostly just the sensation that the whole world had flipped over, that direction had suddenly disappeared, and everything was tumbling around, up, down, and side-to-side. She felt herself fall back into the cabin, desperately fumbling for something to grab onto amidst the chaos.

She felt someone grab her arm, though she couldn't tell who, everything moved to quickly. It prevented her from flying out of the hatch, though she felt a painful pop in her shoulder, and her back slammed hard against the metal ceiling. Her vision went white for a moment, her balance was gone, with no sense of up or down. She pressed the palm of her hand against the floor.

Ground, this was ground. Gravity was pressing down on her, and her back was to the ground. She was facing up.

That established, she began to look around. Her vision was still blurry, but she was able to make out the colorful shapes of the Huntresses first. Ruby was at her side, trying to help her up. Weiss was doing the same for Jay, who had luckily managed to buckle herself in before-hand, and was now free and struggling up to her feet.

She would have been impressed by their fortitude had she the mental faculties to do so. Right then, however, all her concentration was on getting upright, and assessing the situation.

"Is everyone alright?" she asked, a wave of nausea hitting her like a sock full of nickels to the stomach.

Ruby nodded. "Weiss and I are okay, just dizzy. Jay?"

"Hell of a headache," she grunted. "Sore, and I think I pulled a few muscles, but could be worse. I'm still raring to go. Are our two of the three stooges still alive?"

Rei was massaging the back of his head, and Vin was moaning, dry-heaved once, but they both seemed conscious and alive.

"Just peachy," Rei grumbled.

"Indigo is bruised and we've got some bleeding, but I think we're green, ma'am," reported DeMarco, the engineers unbuckling themselves, plopping to the ground ungracefully.

The Captain nodded, pressing herself further upward, ignoring and swallowing the bile that ticked the back of her throat. She was just now noticing the APC was upside down, as was everyone who had been seated.

"Jay," she ordered. "Take point out, Weiss goes with you. Specialists, check the divers. Everyone else, file out behind."

Weiss took position behind Jay, Myternaster raised as she exited the APC, followed closely by Ruby, who was helping to support Korva.

"Take it easy, Captain," said Ruby as they passed through the hatch. "You're bleeding, and your back is probably going to bruise."

She could not deny the pain, grunting as she walked, but she smiled at the Huntress.

"This old Ranger's taken worse beatings than this," she said through a chuckle. "You should have seen training in the old days."

"Drivers are KIA!" shouted Rei from the front.

"Damn," cursed DeMarco. "So what the hell-"

Another explosion of earth and concrete showed down on them. A familiar screeching roar split open the air around them, and an ominous shadow fell.

The Alpha Wurm once again loomed over the group.

"Oh, goddamn it," said Rei, upon exiting the APC and taking in the scene.

"This asshole don't quit," growled Jay, looking to Ruby. "Don't suppose your magic trick would work a second time?"

"I don't think so," replied Ruby, her eyes anchored to the gigantic beast.

The Wurm drowned out their voices with another roar as it arched closer to them, seeming to sense their helplessness. Hearts raced and mouths went dry as each considered what, if anything, there was to do.

That was when they heard it. A muffled, melodic voice in the distance. Even the Wurm took notice, edging back just slightly.

"The hell is that noise?" mumbled Jay.

They each listened harder as it closed in.

_...a bang with the gang…_

…_they want me to hang…beatin' the flack…_

"Is that…?" muttered Korva. "AC/DC?"

"What's an AC/DC?" asked Ruby.

Suddenly the boom of multiple explosions nearly through the group off their feet. The Wurm was engulfed utterly in Air-to-Surface missile fire, and is screeched in pain and horror as it fell nearly to the ground. The missiles continued, and the thunder of a 30mm chin-mounted cannon chimed in, splintering through the tough hide.

Over the fire, pounding fury, and now the rhythmic thumping of VTOL rotors, the Chimera's loudspeakers sang the most beautiful words any of them there had heard so far that day.

_Cause I'm back!  
Yes I'm back!  
Well I'm back!  
Yes I'm back!_

_Well I'm ba-a-a-ack! ba-a-a-ack!_  
_Well I'm back in black!_  
_Yes I'm back in black!_

The weapons fire continued all the while as Viper 3-18 made a grand entrance, completely unloading on the alpha Wurm with seemingly every weapon at his disposal. The sustained fire gave it no room to breathe or move to safety, and under the weight it fell. The crash of its carcass shook the earth.

"_Shit, I've always wanted to do that! Ha-ha-hello, and welcome back to Viper airlines!" _Rang the loudspeaker as 3-18 came in for the dust-off, guitars still blaring from his anthem of rock. _"I'll be your captain once again, please be sure to buckle yourselves in tightly and enjoy the onboard entertainment."_

The bodies of the drivers were retrieved from the APC, Rei and Vin loading them on as Jay helped Ruby get Korva onboard. When she was secured, Jay sat down next to her.

"Damn, Viper, usually guys take me out to dinner before they rock my world like that,"she cackled into her radio.

"_Well, after all this, I should have some hazard pay coming," _he replied. _"You seem the kinda woman who enjoys a good steak."_

"You smooth motherfucker."

"Ugh, I really don't need to be hearing this," Weiss grimaced.

Jay winked at her. "Don't worry, princess, you'll understand when you're older."

"That's not what I –never mind."

Korva cleared her throat roughly, causing everyone to snap back into a stance of professionalism. Jay in a rare moment of embarrassment, attended to the Captains shoulder.

"I'll pop it back in on three, alright boss? One…t–"

"Jay, this isn't the first dislocated shoulder I've had. Just pop it in and be done with it," she interrupted, her voice level and stern.

The younger Ranger nodded, and rotated Korva's arm back into its socket, a soft pop resounding. The Captain winced for a split second, but uttered nothing. She flexed her arm after a moment, and spun it around in a circular motion until satisfied.

"Thank you, Jay," she said, matter-of-factly. "Now, Viper, we need to return to the wall, if you would be so kind. We still have a mission to complete."

"_Yes ma'am, full speed ahead," _he complied. _"Request permission to continue rocking out, Captain?"_

"As long as you keep it off the external loudspeakers."

"_Done and done."_

The rock music that filled the rear canopy cut out, and was replaced a second later with a new song as the Chimra's hatch closed and the inertia of their forward motion hit the passengers. It was a lighter melody, but retained a solid guitar riff.

The choice in music made Jay laugh harder, though the humor of it was lost on Weiss and Ruby, and some of the engineers for that matter. Ruby looked to Vin or Rei for possible answers, but Rei looked almost asleep, and Vin appeared to still be trying to hold back vomit.

"_Hold on tight, ladies and gentlemen. We have a wall to explode."_

The roar of the rotors and thrusters kicked in fully as the music blared on in the canopy.

_Headin' into twilight  
Spreadin' out her wings tonight  
She got you jumpin' off the deck  
And shovin' into overdrive_

_Hiiiighway tooo the Danger Zone  
I'll take you riiiight intooo the Danger Zooone_

* * *

"Alright, this one's set. We're good to go," confirmed Keller, stepping back from the armed demolition charge.

Dmitry nodded, and turned to Blake and Young, who were standing guard at the opposing end of the corridor. He tapped Blake's shoulder once, and she turned to him as he tapped his ear. She'd quickly picked up this was his gesture to ask her if she was hearing anything on approach.

"They're still coming, but if we keep up this pace and keep locking junctions behind us, I think we can keep ahead of them," she said with wary confidence. "If we're done though, we should get moving. There could be more elsewhere."

"Agreed," said Keller. "York, on your feet, we're moving!"

The fellow engineer threw his sack back over his shoulder and was on his feet. Dmitry motioned for Young to watch their six while he took point. Blake was to keep close to Keller and York.

They each fell into formation, and proceeded forward.

"Alright, we have all the supports on the previous clusters set with charges, and this level's been cleared too," informed Keller. "If Goldstein and Hoshi are doing their jobs, we should be meeting up with them further down the line on this level."

The engineer stopped as they passed through another junction, fiddling with the door controls at lightning speed. The hatch slammed shut.

"Fair warning," he said as they resumed their brisk pace. "We're getting awful close to the breach itself. Our schematics only have a rough estimate of its size, so don't go barreling through many more junctions, you might not find a floor on the other side."

"Duly noted," panted Blake.

"Keep on forward to the next junction, then left three junctions, then we climb."

Dmitry nodded. He could already see the next junction hatchway, and took extra care when crossing through, ensuring the floor was stable and there were no structural weaknesses that could prove dangerous to the team. Luckily, they still seemed to still be far enough from the damaged areas that the wall held firm internally.

He repeated the same procedure for the next series of junctions they traversed, being sure to seal them as they went.

"This is the one, right?" asked Young, as they passed through their third hatchway.

"It is, and it seems we got here first. Now we just have to wait."

To their continued fortune and misfortune, their wait was not long. Malik's team was heard far before they were seen, mostly because of Yang.

More specifically, because of Yang yelling.

Also the screaming and shooting, but mostly Yang yelling.

"Pick up the pace! Pick it up! I'm really starting to regret coming on this mission," she shouted down the hall.

Yang came flying through the hatchway, Goldstein and Hoshi hefted over her shoulders, both of them screaming, and practically dove into the junction. Dmitry motioned for Blake and Young to stay, dashing to from whence the engineers hand come.

Down the hall, Malik was shuffling back towards the hatchway, firing off bursts from his carbine. Dmitry fell in next to him and began taking shots with his assault rifle. Widows were scurrying quickly along the floor and walls, too many for two rifles to hold off.

"Yang," cried out Blake as the panting blonde chucked the engineers to the floor.

"Are they injured?" asked Young.

"No…just slow," she coughed.

"What happened?" Blake asked, helping Goldstein and Hoshi up.

"Jumped us while we were setting charges," she replied. "Another secondary strut. We got it, but they've been riding our butts since. We should get moving."

"I'll second that," grunted Keller.

"Your team should-"

Blake's words were cut short, stopping in her throat as her ears twitched. She scrambled over to the edge of the floor to the vertical access ladder, peering down. The color drained from her face.

"Below!" she cried. "They're coming up from below!"

The Faunus threw herself back to her feet, Yang following close behind. Dmitry and Malik were slowly giving ground, but were already almost to the threshold.

"They're coming from below!" she shouted again.

Malik glanced back at her, then to the swarm of unrelenting widows. He swore under his breath, deciding the best course of action.

"How far down?"

"Three or four levels, maybe!" she replied.

The Ranger nodded. "Alright, Indigo goes up, then you and Yang! Dmitry, Young and I will cover you from here!"

Dmitry kept up his suppressive fire, but nodded.

"Hold up," exclaimed Yang. "We can't just leave you guys!"

"We're expendable," he shot back. "Indigo isn't, and they still need an escort! I'm in charge, and I say go! We'll catch up!"

Blake put a hand on Yang's shoulder.

"Yang, we need to go."

The Huntress sighed, but relented to her teammate's request.

"Tell Keller to lock two of the hatches!" Malik continued. "I can lock this one well enough, the last one is our escape route."

The sergeant popped his head through the threshold.

"I can still hear y'all, ya'are shouting! I won't be able to guide you if we split up, I can't guarantee you won't hit a dead end!"

"We'll figure it out, just go!"

Keller nodded, and followed through with the order. The other hatch the group had used, along with the adjacent hatch, were locked tightly. The final two were left to Malik. Indigo ascended the ladder, Yang and Blake following behind. Young kept an eye on the ascending Widows below.

"They're getting close! Should I open fire?" he yelled.

Malik and Dmitry slide around the corners, Malik furiously attending to the door controls.

"One second, one second," he muttered to himself.

The closest Widow hissed and leapt forward as Malik worked. Its fangs were bared, poised to strike, when Dmitry dropped his rifle, letting the weapon hang limply by its strap, and reacted in the way he though fastest.

With a straight, simple punch.

Far from a lethal blow, it did sent the Widow tumbling to the floor, rolling to his feet. A boot to the thorax, and a three-round burst to the abdomen put the Grimm down.

"Holy shit," Young half-screamed, half-laughed. "Did you just punch that thing out of the air?"

Dmitry shrugged as the hatch closed.

"Okay," growled Malik. "That'll keep them busy for a minute. Now let's get _their_ attention."

The three took positions around the ladder access, and unleashed at full-auto. There was no way they were going to halt all the Widows, and they knew it. As long as they were able to divert attention away from Indigo, however, it would suffice.

They were able to drown the first dozen or two in bullets before the offending monsters were too close for comfort, and the hatch they had just sealed was now giving way.

"Who's ready to test our luck?" said the elder Ranger, motioning for the two to get through the hatchway.

Dmitry took lead, Young following close behind. Malik attempted to stop every so often to fire pot-shots, but eventually gave up on the idea. There were too many, moving too fast. It was a pointless effort. Instead the three opted to continue running as fast as they could.

They continued running through two more junctions, hoping to gain some kind of lead so they could ascend up to the next level at least, but the Widows remained consistently at their heels. Approaching the next junction, they faced the worst conditions yet.

Widows were at their backs, and to Dmitry's silent horror, they now poured out in front of them too. Not to the extent of the swarm that chased them, but enough that continuing forward was now a grave risk. The Ranger raised his rifle regardless, firing into the mass of arachnids.

As anyone could tell you, firing any sort of gun while running works about as well as threading a needle underwater. Many of his shots flew predictably wide, but the few that hit sent the sentries at the door scurrying back behind the safety of the wall.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," shouted Young.

"You're welcome to turn back," Malik replied.

The hissing and deafening clatter of razor-barbed legs against metal was all the convincing the scout needed that pressing on was the better option.

Dmitry picked up speed as they approached the hatchway. He dared not turn his head away from the opposing exit, but he could feel the Widows on the walls as they glared at him. No break in speed could be afforded here, and so he leapt across the gap of the vertical access ladder, landing safely on the other side.

Young watched, and mimicked the action, picking up speed as he passed through. He flung himself into the air, but the tip of his boot came short, hooking under the gap and causing him to trip his landing. He cursed as he fell.

The Widows saw their chance.

One leapt directly onto the scouts back, while another landed directly in front of him. He suppressed a whimper.

The Grimm bore their fangs as Young felt a thump against his back. A larger impact than a Widow.

The next thing he knew, the Widow on his back flew into the wall. The other was then punted across the room by a foreign boot.

"I hate these damn thing," grumbled Malik, hopping off of Young.

The Ranger offered his hand.

"Come on, we have to keep mov –SHIT!"

Another Widow leapt from the ceiling, narrowly missing the Ranger. The creature instead landed behind him, but a burst of fire from Dmitry's assault rifle put it down. The younger Ranger re-appeared to fend off the Grimm while Malik pulled Young up.

The true swarm was now upon them, pouring through the hatchway like a flood of legs and screeching venom. Malik pushed Young through the hatch as a Widow dove for his exposed back. Dmitry, his clip empty, smashed the Grimm with the butt of his rifle. He then turned to do the same to another, which had attempted to take advantage of his turned back as well, pinning it to the wall, while stomping a third's head under his boot.

However, there we simply too many to fight, and Dmitry knew immediately, as six barbed legs dug tightly into his sides, and two more into his shoulders, just what was coming next.

A sharp pain in his right shoulder, near his neck. He should have screamed, even he was surprised when he didn't, but all that escaped Dmitry was a long exhale. His legs fell out from under him, his vision became a blur, and things went surreally quiet. He vaguely felt the Widow being pulled from his back, and a pair of arms catching him, lifting him up, but he wasn't sure. He couldn't quite tell what was going on.

Everything suddenly seemed slower and heavier.

To his fortune, however, he was lifted, and was now being carried by Malik. The blood from the wound dribbled out in rhythmic trickles, and the Widow's legs had sliced right through his coat and combat vest, into his flesh.

"Is he okay?"

"Not if he doesn't get some help," answered Malik. "Widows carry Cardiotoxins."

"Cardio-what's?"

Malik growled as they just barely kept ahead of the Grimm at their backs.

"Heart venom! His heart's going to give out if we don't do something soon!"

Young would have cursed himself, had he the breath to do so. As it was, they had no more energy to spare. Ahead the corridor was coming to an end, but there was no junction, just gray air and a slight chill.

The breach, he realized. They'd reached the end and were now at the actual breach. Malik slowed to a stop just beyond, as the floor gave way to nothing but cold air.

Had he the time to admire it, he would have found the breach of the wall breathtaking in a way. For dozens of meters above and below, he could see a cross-section of nearly the whole wall. The blast had eaten out an archway that extended nearly to the top. It would have given a neutral onlooker a truly accurate representation of massive it, and the wall, was. At the very bottom, the river of Grimm which poured from the Scar out into the fields towards Kotova flowed onward, trickling north-west, toward the vague glow and flashes of battle in the distance.

The rain continued on, even harder than when they had entered, now accompanied by sporadic thunder, though it sounded far off. He'd almost forgotten about the rain. Thankfully the breach shielded them from the downpour. Small luxuries, he supposed.

"Shit, dead end," Malik muttered to himself.

Young panted heavily, whipping his head around in every direction, looking for something that could aide them. He looked down, and his mind raced as he lay his eyes on an extended slab of scaffolding, raced with a projected path they might take.

Yes, he thought to himself, that would work.

"Malik," he exclaimed. "There's a platform just below us, some scaffolding. Its maybe two meters down, we can jump it. I think I can put together a path down, maybe we can stay ahead of these things."

Malik looked down, then glanced to Young.

"You sure that'll hold our weight?"

He nodded. "I've jumped down onto more precarious perches than that."

The Ranger sighed. "Not like there's any better option."

He then wordlessly hurled himself over the edge, gripping Dmitry tightly to ensure he would remain secure upon impact. Young's assumption had proven right, and the platform held, though it creaked more than he would have felt comfortable with.

Young's landing was much softer, lacking the extra weight.

"Through here," he led, bringing them through the hatchway of the lower floor. The wall on one side had been sheared off, allowing for them to slowly slide down to the next lower floor.

Above, and further into the corridor, they could hear the rattle of the Widows. At Young's discretion, they continued their trek downward.

* * *

Viper 3-18 hovered low near breach on the UNDF side of the wall. With Korva's shoulder reset, the only injury still causing her trouble was her back. That was a negligible injury by comparison though, and she stood behind the helmeted Viper as he scanned the surroundings with his instruments.

"Anything?" she asked.

"Well, I'm getting two clusters of radio signals. One's faint, and just about crowning the breach, so I'd hazard they're about halfway done. The other's much lower and clearer, coming from damn-near inside the breach. It's also smaller, like they split off."

"Can you isolate whose signal is whose?"

The pilot tapped onto one of his command consoles, momentarily silent for a change.

"Yes and no," he replied finally. "There's definitely three signals from the smaller group, and two of them are definitely Ranger signals. Can't make any special identification out of the third one. Could be one of your schoolgirls, could be Indigo, or it could be Chuckles #3, who knows."

Korva furrowed her brow. Malik would never split away from the group unless the situation demanded it, and for both he and Dmitry to be so far away from the rest of the group, that close to the breach? She didn't like it.

"Viper, take us in toward those signals. I get the feeling our Rangers may need assistance."

"Can I-"

"You had your moment," she said, cutting him off as she turned back to the canopy. "I think once was enough. Maybe next time."

He nodded, dejected.

"Yeah, fair enough."

"Ruby," the Captain called. "Do you have any more magic tricks?"

The crimson Huntress perked up, and immediately looked to Weiss.

"Weiss, I think it's time for Cherry Bomb."

* * *

Malik and Young landed with a resounding thunk as their boots hit a yet still lower floor. They'd been scrambling for a few minutes, and were beginning to run out of breath. The two stopped for just a moment to recuperate, Malik beginning to worry over how quiet Dmitry was growing. Young had removed his mask, revealing the color which was draining from his face. His grip was growing more lax by the minute.

"Dmitry," said Malik, readjusting the young Ranger's position over his shoulder. "Come on, stay with us."

He offered no response, only the lazy lulling of his head denoted consciousness.

"Let me carry him," Young offered.

"I'm fine."

"You're exhausted, now let me carry him…uh, sir."

Malik snickered.

"Fine, as long as you don't call me sir."

Young grinned, and took ahold of Dmitry's waist, hefting him over from Malik's shoulder to his own. Above them, the hissing intensified, the clattering growing closer and louder.

"We need to move," Malik grimaced.

"There's another walkway below us. We'll need to jump, but it's doable," Young said, peering over the edge.

Malik nodded.

"Take him first," he said, tilting his head towards Dmitry. "I'll watch your back."

Young nodded back. He glimpsed over the ledge again, and then took two precautionary leans forward before pushing off over the side. The metal grating below creaked and wobbled under their weight, and a heart spiking snap of metal reverberated beneath him. He froze in place, but the ground under his feet held, leaving him to breathe a sigh of relief.

Cautiously, he sidled into the blown open corridor, both for safety and to make room for Malik. Like many of the others, it was littered with debris and warped metal, impassable. It really _had_ been a miracle they hadn't hit a total dead end.

"Well that didn't sound good," remarked Malik from above.

"I don't know if it'll support another jump down," Young called back up.

The Ranger sighed. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. Staying put was death.

"Knowing my luck with cliffs and ledges, I'm going to fall right off to my death," he muttered to himself as he leapt off.

The Ranger clenched his teeth as his feet struck the metal, and immediately another snap resounded. The floor began to dip downward, causing him to lose his balance and begin to slide over the edge. He searched for a groove or divot to grip, but there was none.

Young rushed forward, Dmitry still over his shoulder, and reached out with his free hand. The scout slid onto his knee as they clasped grips. Malik's fall was prevented, but Young was now immobilized.

"Yeah," Malik sighed. "Called that one."

Above, familiar hisses and clatters were closer than ever before. Malik looked up and could see the Widows continuing to pursue them, the ruckus the snapping metal made gave away their position perfectly. They were only a few meters up and closing.

Nothing prevented Rangers from following a chosen religious faith, but few had one. Rangers were taught from day one to be self-sufficient, to accept help when offered but to never assume or plan around the assumption that it would be given or available, to cooperate and collaborate, but not to let cohesion dull one's own senses. Relying on an invisible cosmic force to provide for you, in place of your own tangible abilities and resources, did not mesh well with common Ranger sensibilities.

That being said, it didn't stop Malik from offering a small prayer. If there were ever a time for it, he thought to himself, it would be now. Dad would be happy.

The Widows continued on their skittering march downward. Young tried in vain to pull Malik up, but only served to almost cause him to slip off his own feet.

"You have to drop me," Malik concluded.

"What?"

"There's some loose beams down below here," he explained. "I think I can catch myself. Drop me and keep going, we're all dead like this."

Young's gaze darted from the Widows above them to the Ranger's whose lives he now quite literally held in his hands. His look to Malik was unsure, but his superior was resolute in his returning stare. Without even verbally agreeing, he could feel his grip loosening.

Malik looked down, then back to Young.

"See you on the other side."

Whatever response Young might have given was drowned out by the series of explosions which illuminated the air directly above them. Both his and Malik's faces shot up, and they watched as Widows rained from the sky, screeching their horrid screeches as they burned along their long fall to the ground. Crimson bolts lit the darkened sky as fiery death was rained on their pursuing Grimm.

In the intervals between the strikes, they could hear the sound of rotors slicing through the wind. They struggled to locate the source when suddenly a pair of spotlights flickered to life above them, and the silhouette of a Chimera dropship was visible. From it, the red streaks lanced, a red glyph softly glowing in front of the rear canopy hatch.

It swiftly lowered, and the glyph dissipated. Over his shoulder, Malik could see Ruby and Weiss waving them over as the canopy closed in on them. The Ranger pulled himself from Young's grip, dropping down the rest of the way, both feet hitting the edge of the hatch's gangway. He immediately turned and yelled for Young to follow after him.

The scout leapt down, falling to his knees on impact. Dmitry was laid out on the ground. Malik throw off his mask and scrambled toward his teammate, pulling him in further. As the Chimera pulled away from the wall and took back its position in the sky, the looks of triumph on the occupant's faces faded upon seeing the bloodied, unresponsive form of the young Ranger.

Malik breathed heavy, but there was absolutely no time to waste. The venom had had far too much time to work its way through Dmitry's system, and finally he had some resources with which to treat his fallen friend.

"Jay, first-aid kit, throw it here, now," he demanded.

She did as he said, but he was hit with a barrage of questions from the rest of the passengers. Korva looked on, concerned but silent.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Ruby, worriedly, falling to her hands and knees next to him.

"What happened?" shouted Weiss. "Malik, tell me, what happened to him? What's wrong?"

Malik ignored them.

"Jay, that kit!"

"Got it," she replied, tossing him the white box with a red cross.

He threw it open, frantically throwing the useless equipment aside, until he found what he needed. Two syringes filled with a thick yellow liquid. He tore the plastic caps off the needles, and inspected that they were in good condition.

"Get his vest and shirt off," he commanded.

Weiss looked at him incredulously.

"His clothes, get them off, now! I don't care how, just get the fabric out of the way!"

The girls pulled at the vest, but fumbled with its durable straps, and the white Huntress growled in frustration. In her fit, she ceased holding back and worked her fingers into the bloody tears in the vest, ripping it in half. She did the same with the should strap, tossing the obstructing gear away. Were Dmitry not dying before them, Malik may have been dumbfounded that a teenage girl just ripped a pullet-proof Kevlar combat vest in half with her bare hands, but it was far too convenient to question for the situation at hand.

The action was repeated with his fatigues underneath, and his bare chest now lay open, his sides smeared with blood which was already beginning to pool on the floor.

"What are those?" questioned Ruby.

"Stim Injectors," he finally answered. "Better than adrenaline."

Jay stepped forward. "Malik, that's a fatal dose!"

"He got bit by a Widow, there's cardiotoxins running through his system. If we do nothing, he dies in the next few minutes, this'll at least probably level it out and keep him alive until we can get help," he retorted.

Malik's gaze shifted through the passengers, but one argued back.

"Ruby, Weiss, hold him down. He might spasm."

They followed his instructions wordlessly. Malik pressed the needles just above Dmitry's chest.

"Sorry, my friend," he said, stuffing some folded cloth into mouth with his free hand, and pressing his jaw shut on it. "This is going to hurt a lot."

The Ranger then raised his hand up, and plunged the needles deep into his teammates chest, pressing the liquid into his body. The second the syringes pierced his flesh, Dmitry took in a sharp breath that then turned into a low growl. They waited for a scream or yell, but it never came. Whether he had not the energy for it, or if even now he fought to keep himself silent, they couldn't tell.

He fought against the Huntresses' grip, but they were able to keep him pinned as the Stims did their work. Once the last drop was squeezed in, Malik pulled the foreign objects out of the young Ranger's body, throwing them aside. Immediately, he removed one of his gloves and put it up to Dmitry's neck, and pressed his ear to his chest.

The thumps of his heartbeat that were once so faint and rare, now pounded like it was fighting to escape his chest. After a handful of seconds, it subsided, still intense, but if Malik was right, the danger was thwarted for the time being. Dmitry had endured.

"He should be okay for now. We still need to disinfect his wounds and bandage him up."

He looked to the first-aid kit, to see Weiss already had spray and bandages in hand.

"I'll do it," she said. "The Captain wants to talk to you, I've bandaged plenty of wounds."

He was unsure for a split second, then remembered who he was talking to. They were basically superheroes, of course they knew first-aid.

He nodded, and left Dmitry in the Huntress' care. The Captain sat deeply against the wall, looking worse for wear, but if Malik knew anything, it that the Captain wouldn't quiet unless the mission was done, or she had no more limbs left to complete it.

She looked past him at Dmitry, Weiss shedding his coat and tossing his ruined clothes to the side.

"Will he be alright?" she asked.

Malik nodded. "For now, but he really needs medical attention. All that was, was a stalling tactic. The venom is still in there, and that Stim will wear off in about an hour, maybe two if we're really lucky, and our luck seems to be all over the place today."

She nodded slowly.

"What's the status of the team?"

"Yang and Blake are with Indigo. Dmitry, Young and I split off to lead that horde of Widows away from them. We were getting hounded and overrun. Provided they didn't run into more trouble, I'd imagine they'd crowned the breach by now."

"They did so already," she confirmed. "Viper has a faint read on their signal. They're descending right now, we're going to back them up. I'd like for you to stay with Dmitry if his condition worsens, plus you look exhausted."

"You're one to talk, ma'am," he grinned.

She scowled at him.

"You and Jay…don't you start treating me like some old woman the second I get hurt," she scolded. "I was a Ranger while you both were learning what comes after four, and Dmitry was a glimmer in his parent's eyes, I can handle some bruises."

He nodded. "Of course, ma'am."

His acceptance of her lecture made her grin as well, despite herself.

"I really do sound like an old woman, don't I?"

"Age is just a number, Captain."

"Good answer," she said as she stood from her seat, patting him on the shoulder as she did so. "I'm going to talk with Viper, and we'll send in a team to the other side of the breach to reinforce Indigo and our Huntresses."

"Understood."

As she walked up the cockpit, Malik looked back over to Dmitry. Weiss seemed to be doing a good job of patching him up. He just hoped all the trouble he'd put him through had been worth it.

Meanwhile, Weiss sprayed disinfectant onto the bite-wound which marred Dmitry's shoulder. She'd already wiped away some of the blood, oblivious to the fact that it had stained her hands and her dress. He didn't react to what would under normal circumstances be a sharp stinging sensation; he was likely far too tired to even do that, or perhaps the pain he'd already experience numbed him to the minor inconvenience. Instead he simply laid mostly limp, leaning against Weiss' lap as she secured a bandage and gauze.

"He's tough," said Ruby suddenly.

Weiss lifted her head to face her leader, who was still on her hands and knees across from her.

"What?"

"I said he's tough, and he's our friend. He'll be okay."

The Huntress looked down again. He looked so peaceful, oddly enough. Ironic given the chaos of just a few moments ago.

She nodded.

"I know."

"Do you need any help?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "I can handle it. Though if you could, ask the Captain if there's anywhere we can lay him down that's not the floor once I get him patched up."

Ruby nodded back.

"Sure thing."

Sometimes Weiss envied Ruby's optimism, even in the face of disparaging realities. Realistically speaking, Dmitry's chances were still not great. She'd told herself he would be fine before, and that obviously didn't turn out to be true. All she could really do was help make him comfortable, and aide in completing the mission as quickly as possible so as to deliver him to proper medical care.

She placed a hand on his forehead. It was damp with sweat, yet somehow cold. The blood was still drained from his face.

Weiss sighed, picked up the rag, and began dabbing one of the lacerations on his side.

* * *

**Excerpt from _In the Jaws of Skoll: Humanity's Struggle against the Grimm_ (2076) by Dr. Joseph Wallace**

_The walls which now separate the realm of the Grimm from the domain of man were built during the periods of the early 2030's to 2040's, and are the first and greatest line of defense. After the formation of the United Nations Defense Force in 2023, and the end of the war in 2025, the question of global security became not how to defeat the Grimm, but how to contain them. _

_Under a single banner, mankind was able to effectively coordinate the multi-continental conflict against the Grimm, despite the disastrous opening year of hostilities from mid-2018 leading into 2019. This, however, did not mean victory, and the Grimm, in humanity's long disarray, had become too numerous, and spread to too many corners of Earth to effectively exterminate without the use of WMDs, which, while proposed, was vetoed by the UN Security Council._

_It was instead decided in 2026 that Exclusion Zones would be established, resulting in the prototype of the walls we know today. Areas of Central and East Asia, Western Africa, as well as North/Southwest North America were forcibly cordoned off by UNDF forces. This proved to be an overall effective, but inefficient strategy; the amount of manpower required to guard the borders were vast, and Grimm still managed to slip by, and in certain areas, overrun the Exclusion Zones, leading to intense and costly skirmishes. A more permanent solution was demanded._

_The UNDF began an initiative, one that would stretch the decades to come, to totally seal the infested areas away. Many construction, engineering, and research groups and corporations were contracted by the UNDF to create a modular structure which could not only effectively keep the Grimm at bay, but defend itself from attack without direct input from humans. Three years later, in 2030, the first prototype was established in the Mojave Desert, stretching 3 km of land. The wall proved largely impervious to Grimm attack, and fully capable of deterring their approach through an array of automated conventional and sensory weapons. The project was greenlit for full-scale construction._

_Over the next decade, multiple projects were launched around the globe. The Mojave was the first constructed, and the first completed, in as little as two years. The Ural wall began at almost the same time, but as it was by far the largest, took nearly the entire decade to complete, christened in early 2039. It was a financially taxing endeavor, but one that allowed the UNDF to re-allocate many previously unavailable resources being used to defend the Exclusion Zones. A development that would later allow for funds to be funneled to more project which, while extravagant, would further push the boundaries of several fields of science._

_The walls would set a precedent for the UNDF as being on the frontier of military science, and pathed the way for several other significant developments in the decades leading up to the present day, including the JOTUN Combat Walker, ENKIDU Exo-Frame, Sleipnir Megacarriers, and aiding in the expansion of Ishtar Station along the Sri Lankan Space Elevator._


	6. Chapter 6: The Wolf and Winter Cold

**Six chapter in and I'm already breaking my rule about Authors Notes, sound the hypocrisy alarm. I'll _try_ to keep this brief, but I wanted to bring something up that one or two people, over the (admittedly quite long) course of my writing this chapter, had asked about.**

**A few people have brought up the hinting at a romance between Weiss and Dmitry, and asked me about it. So I'm here now to clear the air and say, yes, there will be. Not anything concrete or serious for some time yet, but there will be. Honestly, I didn't intend this to be some big secret or reveal, the hints were placed there with the intention of this story being tagged as such, which I apparently…forgot to do. I'll have fixed that by the time most of you are reading this.**

**Embarrassing for me, but nonetheless, I only felt it fair to let everyone know, in case that sort of thing burns your toast. If you decide you'd rather not continue reading because of it, I'd be disappointed to see you leave, but I'd understand. Some people take shipping very seriously, and don't appreciate OC ships, and I get it. This is all entirely for fun on my part, but I get it.**

**Anyway, I'll take a final moment to thank you all for reading, reviewing, giving your thoughts, and being patient with my inconsistent schedule. I now have for you easily the longest chapter in the story so far.**

* * *

"_Tossed into the wild, left to pit his wit and will against  
nature's fury. It was his initiation, his time in the wild, for  
he would return to his people a Spartan, or not at all. _

_The wolf begins to circle the boy. Claws of black steel, fur as dark  
as night, eyes glowing red –jewels from the pit of Hell itself.  
The giant wolf sniffing, savoring the scent of the meal to come.  
It is not fear that grips him, only a heightened sense of things.  
The cold air in his lungs. Wind swept pines moving against the  
coming night. Hands steady, his form perfect._

_...And now, as then, a beast approaches; patient and confident,  
savoring the meal to come. This beast is made of men and horses,  
swords and spears, an army of slaves, vast beyond imagining…_

_...a beast approaches"_

–Dilios, 300  
.

"I keep telling you, this isn't 'a few birds'!"

-Melanie, The Birds  
.

**Chapter 6: The Wolf and Winter Cold**

"Indigo, do you copy? This is Saber, do you copy? Over."

With her Rangers and the final member of X-Ray 3 secured in the rear canopy, and Dmitry's condition tentatively stable, Korva turned her attention to contacting Keller. Given all the chaos of what had been happening –the Wurm, the Widow swarms, riding in for the rescue, treating Dmitry- no one had really had any time to sit and contact anyone else. Now, however, was the time to regroup and assess everyone's situation, so Korva stepped away from the chatter in the rear canopy, broadcasting through Viper's transmitters in the cockpit.

"Indigo, come in, over."

There was silence over the line for a moment, until a crackle popped through the speakers.

"_Saber, this is Indigo, we copy. Good to hear your voice, Captain, over."_

"Likewise. What is your situation? Over."

"_Green on our end, though sorry to say we were separated from your Rangers and that scout. Any idea on their condition? Over."_

"They're worse for wear, but alive. We recovered them a few moments ago. Do you require assistance? We're aware you ran into a fair bit of trouble not too long ago."

"_It was touch and go for a while, but I think we're good. We haven't met any resistance, and we still have our superheroes with us."_

"Understood. We're currently aboard Viper, holding position within the breach. Let us know when you finish up for extraction."

"Be advised, Indigo," interrupted Viper. "I'm about twenty-five minutes from bingo fuel, so make it snappy Sergeant."

"_Affirmative, we're finishing up a strut cluster now. After that we should only have a few more supports, then we'll take the nearest exit for extraction. Indigo, out."_

The channel closed, and Viper looked to the Captain.

"We should be okay if we hover here, out of sight. Should we hold this position?"

"For now. Keep an eye on their signals, and get me if they make contact again."

The pilot nodded as Korva stepped back into the canopy, passing by Dmitry as he lay in the furthest back seats with Malik, Weiss and Ruby. X-ray sat near the front with their detachment of Indigo. The Captain took a seat with Jay, in between the two groups. For now, things were going as smoothly as they could, so using the time for a short breather was wise, in the event that something else went horribly wrong, which, in the back of her mind, she was sure something would.

Several of the seats in the Chimera could be transformed into secure fold-out cots for injured passengers, and so Dmitry was laid down. Malik used some of the equipment in the canopy, as well as his own computer gear, to rig up a simple heart monitor. He and Weiss sat on either side of him, silently listening to the rhythmic beeps.

The Huntress sat terrified that at any moment she may not hear the next, but Malik assured her that for the immediate future, Dmitry would live. He didn't mention how unsure he was regarding any possible damage the toxins, or his treatment of it, may have inflicted, but their options had been limited. Dmitry was still young, barely out of his teens; Malik would be damned if he let him die. Age wasn't supposed to matter to Rangers, but every so often, you couldn't be a Ranger first, no matter how hard you tried.

Ruby sat across from the three, trying to keep a strong front. Weiss had already looked as though she were losing hope, the last thing she needed to see was her own worries regarding the situation. Regardless, she still believed Dmitry would pull through, and that a victory was still within reach. She wasn't sure what made her believe it, but she did, and the belief gave her strength, so she would keep on believing it.

Young sat closely with the others in the back as they all watched over the youngest member of Saber. He hung his head low, replaying everything that had occurred in the wall during their flight from the Widows.

"It's my fault he's like this," he murmured out loud.

"Quit belly-aching," replied Malik.

Young brought his head up, realizing he had indeed just said that out loud.

"It's true," he affirmed. "I screwed up back there. You both had to come save me, and it cost…we should have just gone back to Saranpaul. Rei tried to tell me we'd be no help, but I didn't listen."

Malik sighed.

"Will you just stop it with the pity party? He's not dead, not yet, so quit acting like he's already buried."

Young was quiet for a moment, staring blankly into Malik's back, as he'd not even bothered to turn and face the Specialist. After a moment his eyes shifted slightly over to the young Ranger.

"You should have seen him in there," he said, a look flickering over to Weiss before returning to Dmitry.

"Punched a Widow right out of the air. No fear, no hesitation, just wham –right to the floor. Then he just shrugged," he chuckled, "Wish I had guts like that."

"Dmitry's been like that since day one," said Malik. "Always freaked me out a little bit, how well he fit into this life. Even after training, there's usually a couple months where you need to get your feet wet, wade around. He's always just seemed born for it."

The Ranger peeled his eyes away from his monitor for just a split second, observing the unsettlingly serene face of his teammate.

"He's out of it, toxins and stress probably took any energy he had left. Doubt we could wake him without meds, and I _really_ don't want to pump anything more into his system unless we have to. He's stable-ish for now, and I'm no professional doctor, so I'd prefer to leave well-enough alone."

"Do you think he's dreaming?" asked Ruby.

That made Malik laugh a bit.

"I'm not sure I'd want to know what a guy like Dmitry dreams about."

The bed-ridden Dmitry floated between the realms of waking consciousness and darkened sleep. A hazy, dreamlike listlessness consumed him, unable to tell reality from imagination.

He could hear his name, but not much else. Different people were repeating it, over and over it seemed like.

Dmitry…

…Dmitry they called.

He wondered if they were calling to him, or speaking to one another about him.

…Dmitry…Dmitry…Dmitry…D–

* * *

"_Dmitry Petrakov! Boy, this is your last chance to jump, or your last chance to run away! Make your choice, recruit!"_

_Dmitry suddenly found himself in a familiar place. It was still a Chimera canopy, but it was empty. All empty save for a masked and coated Ranger who grasped the side-railing of the hatchway, looking directly at him expectantly. There was a biting sharpness to the air outside, made all the more brutal by his thin, long-sleeved fatigues._

_He didn't control his actions. He remembered the place, and the events pertaining to them, but held no sway over his perception of them. He was as a spectator to his own life, as he remembered it. _

_The not-yet-Ranger shook his head, clearing away doubts, and rushed forward. It was the first time he had ever jumped out of an aerial vehicle. At the time, it was a terrifying, but exhilarating rush. In the years that followed, it became much more routine, but that first leap was a formative moment in his Ranger training. _

_The wind slice at his face as he dropped down to the earth from over eight-thousand feet in the air. A poultry distance to him now, as he had trained to complete HALO jumps in excess of thirty-thousand feet years later, but this past-him had yet to experience such things._

_He rode the parachute down as he'd been shown in the simulation, and managed to get himself stuck in a tree. One less than graceful landing later, after fighting off the web of straps, had him on his feet._

_Even now, the basic training the Rangers had been kind enough to give him before tossing him over the wall echoed in his mind._

_Water, he would need water. He had three days to reach the wall, and three days without water would equal a dead Dmitry. It was winter, but rivers tended to not freeze as quickly as lakes, and if the region had one thing, it was rivers, many of which ran back to the wall._

_Find a river, secure a water-source and a point of reference. Once night began to fall, a place of shelter would be crucial for both protection and warmth. If he remembered correctly, he wormed his way underneath a mass of tree-roots the first night. He'd slept in comfier holes. _

_Gather food if the opportunity presented itself. If not, well tough. He'd been warned that in all likelihood, food would be scarce, and time would not permit dawdling after prey. Especially when he WAS the prey in a larger sense._

_The Grimm would sense them soon enough, fresh prey dropped in from the sky. Staying in one place was a quick death, only progress would save him._

_Past-Dmitry rubbed his shoulders with his already stiffening hands, and crunched against the snow as he went in search of his river._

* * *

If there was one thing that Blake wasn't used to today, it was quiet. Since the second she and Yang had come to out in those fields, it had been nothing but killing Grimm, yelling over gunfire, riding away from danger, the pound of cannons, sheering of metal, and the hisses of spiders. Now, with the Widows having apparently given chase to Malik and the others, they and Indigo were now making better time. Their routes no longer entailed complicated windings of different corridors and junctions, it was all direct paths now.

Still, the lack of noise did not necessarily mean they were out of danger, and she kept her ears perked up, twitching, and alert. Every so often the creak of metal brought her heart to a spike again, but she calmed herself. Her nerves were quite frayed, she thought to herself.

She sighed, and looked over her shoulder at Indigo. Keller had gone off a bit down the corridor set up on a primary strut with Goldstein. She and Yang stood with Hoshi and York. They looked to be about done, they were just synching the detonation of the charges.

As she was returning to her watch down the hallway, she noticed Yang looking at her peculiarly. Her brow furrowed slightly as she looked to her teammate.

"Something on my face?"

Yang's expression changed, looking as if she'd just been popped out of a dream.

"O-oh, sorry," she chuckled. "Didn't mean to stare."

"So you admit to staring," Blake joked.

"Yeah, sorry," she apologized again. "I was just thinking, ya know, I don't get to see your real ears very often."

Blake shrugged and turned back to her corridor.

"Truth be told I'd much rather have my bow now too, but who knows where it drifted off to. I'll have to get a new one."

"I dunno, the people around here seem kind of chill about it so far. Maybe you won't have to," Yang suggested.

"I'd feel more comfortable with one. I suppose I've gotten a little too used to it," she replied, a twinge of sadness seeping into her voice.

Yang was silent for a moment.

"Well, maybe you could try going without just every so often for a little while, to sort of break the habit. If you want, that is."

"I wouldn't mind seeing them more; I think they look nice," she continued after a moment's hesitation.

Her ears twitch again.

"You do?

"Yeah," Yang nodded.

Blake smiled to herself.

"Well, maybe. I could–"

"Alright, we're finished up," called Keller. "Let's move on, we've got another primary a ways further, let's get going."

Yang shrugged.

"Duty calls I guess. We can talk about it more after all this is over, though, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"One thing at a time," she muttered to herself. Keller wiped his forehead with his sleeve as Blake fell in with the rest of the team.

"It feel hotter in here to you?"

* * *

_Sleep was a gamble in the winter. You could never be sure you would wake again without a source of warmth. Dmitry looked back on his time in the wilderness during his initiation and realized how weak he had been then. Night had fallen, and his past-self which he observed had taken shelter beneath a half-uprooted tree; a tight fit, but safe from the wind. _

_He kicked himself for such a risk; hunger was of no concern even then, but his younger self was unaccustomed to sleepless nights. He had always managed to find a secure place of rest in Kotova, no matter the cold, and so had given in and took what shelter he could find to indulge in sleep during his initiation. He curled into a tight ball, and rest came slowly, but once it was achieved, it passed instantaneously, and suddenly Dmitry saw himself once again awake._

_Just as he remembered, the morning of the second day was passed only be the trudging of his feet through the snow, following the river back to the wall. It wasn't until the afternoon that the true danger of his initiation reared its head._

_The sun was high in the sky, just beginning its downward descent, but blocked by thick clouds, leaving everything in a dull, half-lit state. The wind had refused to let up from the previous day, and snow continued to fall lightly._

_He was thankful for the trees in the region. Further south it was much more barren, and much of the trees had been cleared from the UNDF side of the wall for construction and military purposes, but the forestry here had been a godsend in breaking the wind. It was still cold, unbelievably so actually; Dmitry was unsure at the time if he would ever feel warm again, but the wind-chill would have made it infinitely worse. _

_The cold was not the most dangerous thing beyond the wall, though, and he knew it. The cold was what killed you if you were slow, and Dmitry was not._

_What killed you if you were weak was the same thing that had just howled in the distance. Dmitry would soon find out if he would be predator or prey._

* * *

"Ah, shit."

After everything they had been through; the journey to the wall, navigating the dark, outrunning the horde of Widows, once again Blake and Yang met with complication.

It had all started when Blake, with her keener senses, warned the group of smoke ahead. None of the others had so much of a whiff of it, but Yang instructed to take the Faunus' warning seriously. Their progress slowed slightly, as for once they had the luxury of caution over speed, until nearly ten minutes later, the rest of the group caught up to what Blake could already sense.

The air was noticeably hotter than anywhere they had been before. Thick and heavy, it was a chore to breathe it in, and that was when the smoke started to waft through the corridors.

Yang had volunteered to scout ahead to try and locate the source. What she found was a blaze which engulfed multiple levels of their descending path from the crown of the breach. She had no way of guessing at its size, and Keller was at a similar loss as to how a fire could have occured. The munitions were the only flammable materials kept on-site, and their storage areas were kept at near vacuum to suffocate possible ignition sources, and the walls possessed tertiary fire suppression systems linked to their own separate power-grid within the super-structure. A fire was basically impossible, yet here it was, blocking their progress.

"I don't suppose you geniuses have any bright ideas," said Yang, hands at her hips.

Keller sat against the wall in the junction they occupied, flipping through his tablet, observing the schematics of the wall.

"Well, we can't go forward, that's obvious. We could try going under, but there's no telling how far down we'd have to go, and I don't know how stable the levels below us are, being so close to the breach. Besides, we're pressed for time as it is."

"What do we do then?" asked Blake. "It's not like we can go over it."

Keller's head shot up for a second, staring into space, then snapped back down to the tablet, zooming into the image of the schematic with his fingers.

"Wait," he murmured. "Wait, wait, wait."

"What?"

"I think we can," he replied.

"Can what?" asked Yang, peering over Keller's shoulder.

"I think we can go over it. You remember those maintenance access hatches? The ones we used to get in here from the ground?"

They both nodded.

"Well they have them at the top of the wall too. They use them to re-arm missile batteries and run diagnostics on targeting sensors, things like that. If we back-track a little, we can climb up to one of the radar towers, and exit onto the top of the wall. Then it's a matter of just running to the next hatch, which is…next to a missile battery, maybe three-hundred meters away."

"Is that safe?" asked Blake.

"It's saf_er_. We don't really have too many options. We can head back up, find a lift-shaft, climb up that manually, and then cover the ground out in the open."

Keller looked back down the corridor, smoke floating through the broiling air.

"We should try and raise the Captain, let her know about the change in route. She should be close enough for short-range comms by now. It's better than trying to get through_ that_."

* * *

Viper continued to hold its position just out of sight within the breach. Dmitry remained in a passable, but still weak state. Weiss and Ruby both had suggested they return to the FOB or Kotova to try and get him help, but as their only means of exfiltration or support, Viper had to remain on-station as long as possible, and the route necessary to avoid unwanted attention would take far too long for a round-trip. They'd already been lucky to sneak into the breach to rescue the Rangers once as it was, and the pilot, confident as he was, wasn't keen on pressing chance more than he could help.

Malik assured her that the stims had been administered relatively recently, and that they would stay in effect long enough for them to finish the mission. He'd received a normally lethal dosage of the mixture, but as the toxins worked against him, his hyper-tense state was now what kept him alive. They each took turns cleaning his face and brow, as his body was peculiarly cold, even under the blankets they provided him, yet sweat periodically dripped off his skin.

Weiss sat close by, not having moved since the Ranger had been settled, and found herself running her hands over the coarse leather of his coat. It was a hardy, thick material, made of genuine animal hide, though she couldn't determine what. Even through its resilience however, the Widow had torn narrow holes through the sides, and twin pierce marks along the shoulder.

It was a shame it had been ruined, though she doubted he would care much. None of Saber seemed to pay the poor condition of their clothing any heed, which when she thought about it seemed odd, since they apparently went through such pains to customize them. Dmitry's own had many tally-marks dotting its right sleeve, likely a testament to the Grimm he'd killed. She was less impressed by the quantity, and more by the fact that he kept a mental count at all.

"He'll be happy when he wakes up," said Malik, glancing at the coat while wiping Dmitry's forehead with the now stained rag. It was the best they had.

"Old Ranger tradition," he spoke. "It's bad luck to be a Ranger with nothing on your coat. The tallies were a start, but that's a real mark."

The Huntress looked at the garment, her fingers fiddling with the holes.

"Is that why you decorate them then?" she asked.

Malik glanced down at his right sleeve. Weiss' eyes trailed down his own gaze, as she read the words painted onto the material. "Inaya" was what it said.

"That's…part of it."

* * *

_The thing about Direwolves that every Ranger had to remember, was that they were in essence, just giant, hyper-aggressive, super-strong wolves. This might sound intimidating, because it is, but any Ranger worth their salt could take one down. The problem is that there was NEVER just one._

_Like their natural counterparts, Direwolves traveled in packs, and hunted as such. _

_Dmitry had discovered this upon the second day of his initiation. The cold forgotten, the young Ranger-to-be now fled from a much more dangerous force. Five direwolves chased him downhill; no human could ever hope to outrun most any Grimm, and so Dmitry searched frantically for anything that could even the playing field._

_His only option, as he saw it, was to chance crossing the river. He had come across a lull in the current, where the water was far more frozen over, and he dared to traverse it. Grimm, for reasons not even the Rangers could explain, seemed adverse to sources of water, avoiding them when possible, and it was his hope that they would give up their chase if he made it to the other side._

_The teenager felt as though they were breathing down his very neck. Dmitry remembered this chase well. The rush of adrenaline flooding his system as he faced life or death, one failure being his last. He approached the ice, feeling the ground shake and vibrate under him. They really were at his neck now. _

_The jump would decide his fate._

_It was sloppy, his balance and form poor. Dmitry's present-self shuddered at the lack of skill. The landing was no improvement. _

_He slipped half-way into the jump, and body-slammed into the ice on the other side. It cracked loose under his weight, and his heart sunk, believing death was at hand. The direwolves at his back had tried to skid to a halt upon the approach of water, but too many stopped too suddenly, and the lead two were shoved forward onto the ice, colliding with him, and finishing the job his landing had begun, and shattered the ice beneath him, sending he, the wolf, and another of its brothers that had followed it in, plunging into the water. _

_The current was weak, but took them along. The closer of the direwolf clawed frantically as Dmitry kicked and flailed trying to stay above water, and to keep his distance from the beast. He could barely feel, everything stung, he had little to no control over his body, which only increased the danger once the current did pick up again. _

_Now he was a ragdoll, completely at the mercy of nature. The direwolf was close now, still madly grasping at him. The back of its claw struck him as they both rose from the depths, and it sent him hurtling away, towards shore._

_The blow was a stroke of luck, and not only knocked him to snowy, but dry land, but it also saved him from colliding with an oncoming rock. A fate one direwolf suffered it his stead, head-first. The impact must have knocked it unconscious, as it sunk beneath the water. The other continued on downstream, howling as it went._

_Dmitry trembled. He had never been so cold in his entire life. In fact he could scarcely remember a time after that day which compared._

_Thankfully he was out of the water, and rolled onto solid ground. Unfortunately, he was soaking wet with near-frozen water. The Rangers had a advised them on winter survival during their brief primer training period. It was how he knew not to breathe when he fell into the water, avoiding the fatal effects of the cold shock, and how he knew now, that he would soon fall prey to hypothermia if he didn't get dry and find shelter._

_Cold water removed body heat from humans 25 to 32 times faster than cold air. That in mind, Dmitry sucked in his pride, and removed his clothes. _

_Across the span of the stream, three Direwolves snarled as he made his way back amongst the trees._

* * *

"I can't believe this place had these the whole time," grunted Yang, pulling herself onward and upward.

After a short period of back-tracking, Keller had led the Huntresses and Indigo to a lift-shaft, a wide cargo elevator, used to lift equipment up to the AA-defenses and sensor towers. They had to pass through a peculiarly different hatch to get there, revealing much wider hallways than Yang had thought the wall possessed. The revelation that the entire wall was not cramped, and in fact possessed elevators, was a frustrating one to Yang, given all the climbing and general trouble the confines of the structure had caused them.

"Well yeah," replied Keller. "You think a wall this big would have only ladders?"

"That's all we've been using."

"Because the power to most of the systems were out, and it's still out this close to the breach. Besides, the maintenance shafts were where we needed to be. Just one more level, by the by, you should see the hatch."

As the ascended the last meter or so, she realized she was passing by a small walkway in the wall, just enough to provide footing while allowing the lift passage. To Yang's right, another hatch, this one identical to the one she observed when entering the wall from the ground.

"Yeah, I see it."

"Good. You make sure everybody else gets up here okay, I'll work my magic."

Yang did as instructed, and hopped to the left after reaching the top, letting Keller pass through to the hatch. Hoshi, then Goldstein, and finally York reached the top, tailed by Blake. Yang extended a hand to her, lifting her up the rest of the way to the gangway.

"I'm really beginning to hate this wall," Blake grumbled.

"Same. Just think of how great it'll feel to blow it up a little, maybe crush some Grimm in the process?"

The Faunus chuckled under her breath.

A hiss and pop, followed by the screech of metal on metal echoed throughout the shaft, as Keller opened the hatch. The moaning squeaks of the hinges were almost drowned out by the heavy downpour and wind beyond.

"Of course, we trade a blazing inferno for a fucking hurricane," the engineer growled, turning to his men and the Huntresses.

"Alright, don't see any Grizzlies or Direwolves running around, and nothing's on fire, so we might have actually lucked out for a change. Our hatch is the fourth pod down this row, ya got it? You can see it in the distance. The ground is gonna be slick, and the winds might throw you off balance some, so watch your footing. We'll move at jogging pace. Everybody clear?"

The five nodded.

"Alright, good. York, hang on tight to those charges. If you lose those things, I'm throwing your ass over the edge after 'em, clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Secure anything ya'll don't feel like losing, and then let's do this."

The wind and rain had picked up immensely since they had last been outside. Gusts whipped against their faces, and the rain had them all soaked after only a few seconds of being out in the open. Yang and Blake were the only ones spared the fate, using their auras to deflect the incoming water.

The clouds above them were thick and dark, not allowing for much sunlight, despite it still being day, albeit growing later into the evening. As such, it was difficult to see through the downpour, further slowing their progress on an already untrustworthy floor.

Blake's eyes periodically took to the horizon and sky. She could see many flashes in the distance, too many and too low to be lightning. She concluded it must have been the battle. There was lightning though, and thunder –too close for the Huntress to feel comfortable, surrounded by so much metal. Her eyes continued to dart around, as if she could somehow avoid the storm's fury. A foolish notion, she knew, but it helped.

Another flash of lightning arced across the sky, bringing a flicker of light. In that flash, along the sky above them, a faint hint of movement. Too fast, too fluid to be clouds.

It made her nervous, especially since the other clearly could not see it.

She brought her hand to her ear, thinking perhaps to speak into their short-range comms and bring it up, when she heard a whistle. Several whistles, actually.

Not a whistle that came from any lips of humans or Faunus. No, it was too high-pitched for that. It sounded more like the air was being forcibly cut through. It sounded familiar, but it took her a moment to peg down where she had heard it before.

Blake's hand shot up to her ear-piece.

"Nevermore!"

With her opposing hand, she began to urge Indigo to move faster, pushing against York's back. The high-pitched whistles came to a terrifying crescendo, marked by the sound of warped, pierced metal. By that point, everyone was onboard about what was going on, and Keller shouted for everyone to break into a run.

It became a mad dash for the hatch. The echo of the avian Grimm's screech tore through the ravaging winds.

The Nevermore came low, swiping its talons at the fleeing team as it passed over them, then came to a skidding stop atop the wall. It screeched again, slamming its beak down after them, narrowly missing Blake and York.

The impact caused the two to stumble. Blake caught herself before falling, but York lost his footing, tumbling onto his stomach. The Huntress halted, grabbed the engineer by the wrist, and pulled him forward with her as he tried to right himself. Another series of whistles sounded as the Nevermore leapt back into the air.

Blake almost fell back over when York's wrist was suddenly yanked from her grip. The Faunus looked back at the engineer, only to see him on the ground, a Nevermore feather through his gut, pinning him to the floor.

She stepped toward the fallen engineer, only to have her shoulder gripped from behind. Her head whipped around to see Keller.

"Go!" he shouted. "We're dead if we stay out here!"

The Huntress looked back for a split second, before giving into the sergeant's orders and continuing on. The Faunus could feel the feathers of the Nevermore as they pierced the metal at her heels.

As the rain fell, the chaos and anxiety made it hard to keep bearings, but the two slammed up against the metal base of a missile battery, finding the rest of the team huddled against what little shelter could be offered. Yang was prying at the hatch, trying to twist the manual release. She screamed in exertion, but the creak and groan of steel against steel sung of her success.

Over the wind and thunder, a loud thumbing was heard, followed by the screech of the Nevermore. Blake looked up as Yang peeked over her shoulder, to see the thundering chin-mounted 30mm cannon of Viper 3-18's Chimera, as it bit into the flesh of the Nevermore, causing it to break off its pursuit, but a well-placed pair of rockets struck the finishing blow.

A final caw from the Nevermore crescendo'd amidst the thunder as Yang forced the door open inch by inch. Blake added her strength to the effort, the thick doors being designed wide enough to allow the loading of large munition. They didn't bother pushing it all the way open, only enough for a human body to slip through. The engineers, Keller, and then finally the Huntresses themselves, sidled inside to relative safety.

They each hobbled to the opposite end of the room, away from the door, and slid to the floor. As he sat, Keller stared at the door, which still hung open just so.

"Fuck," he muttered to himself.

Blake looked over to him as he stared off.

"I'm sorry about York."

"Yeah, so am I," he replied. "We have to go back."

The sergeant looked over.

"York had our explosives."

* * *

"Target's breaking off Captain," reported Viper. "I'm picking up Indigo and the Huntresses inside the fourth missile battery. One casualty along the walkway, KIA."

The Ranger stood over the pilot in the cockpit, surveying the situation below as the wounded Nevermore wildly flapped away to a safe distance.

"Shit," he muttered. "Got more pings on radar. Two, incoming fast, likely more Blackbirds."

"Get me Indigo," she ordered.

Viper's hand went straight for the radio console, then nodded.

"Indigo, this is Korva. What is your status, over?"

"_Captain, good timing. We're alright, but York is down. He had the last of our explosives on him. Over."_

"Understood, we'll lend a hand. Korva, out."

She looked back down to Viper.

"I'll take a team. Off-load us, then break off to a safe distance if you can."

"Roger, heading in."

The Captain re-entered the rear canopy, grabbing her rifle from her previous seat, ensuring its magazine was securely fitted. She slid her metallic/polymer mask back over her face, Jay doing the same.

"Jay, Ruby, Weiss, X-ray, on me. We're off-loading to secure the explosives from Corporal York."

Jay was the first one out of her seat and information near the hatch as it groaned open, shouldering her LMG.

"Back into the shit, alright."

X-ray formed up behind her, when Viper came on over the intercom.

"_Captain, third ping on radar, came out of nowhere! I think the damn thing is nose-diving at us! Hold tight, I need-"_

The rest of his sentence was cut off as a sudden hail of black feathers rained down from directly above, peppering the hull of the Chimera. A sudden flash, followed by a deep boom knocked everyone off their feet, and the VTOL was suddenly beginning to spin.

Jay lost her balance, rolling down the still open hatch, and flew off the edge, landing hard against the roof of the wall. Vin held onto a railing, but Rei was not so lucky as to have something to hold onto, and fell as Jay did soon after. His fellow scout lunged for his hand, to keep him on-board, but it only served to throw them both off, just narrowly avoiding falling over the edge of the wall.

The rest of the group held tight, but were trapped aboard the now out of control Chimera. Over the rushing winds, screams, and whining creaks of metal, Viper's voice could be heard, screaming into his radio on all frequencies.

_"Mayday, mayday, this is Viper 3-18, I've lost my number two rotor and am losing altitude! I say again, I am going down!"_

As the passengers held on for dear life, Viper 3-18 slammed nose-first into the ground, grinding against the soft, wet soil. Its still remaining rotor spun lazily for a moment, before sputtering out of life, and growing as still as the rest of the crash.

In the distance, a chorus of roars echoed.

* * *

_Starting a fire in winter can difficult. The winds are generally harsher, most foliage is either long dead, buried under snow, or frozen. In a forest, there is always wood, but wood on its own is more difficult to burn without a more easily ignited material. Thankfully, one tree proved a saving grace to Dmitry; pine trees. Ever resistant to the winter cold, and still retaining their prickly leaves, they proved the best option when the young Ranger-to-be sought material to build a fire._

_He'd hoped that making one wouldn't be necessary, as there were risks that came with the warmth is provided. Mainly, it made him very easy for the Grimm to find, especially in the dark. It couldn't be avoided though, hypothermia was his greatest foe at the moment, and he needed to get warm and dry his clothes if he wanted to make it through the next day._

_The stream had aided him in at least one aspect, in that it had brought him quite a decent distance closer to the wall in the minutes it had thrashed him around. Faster than he could have traversed the distance on foot in any case. Still, there was a ways to go yet, and if he didn't make it to the wall by sundown the next day, he would be left to his fate._

_Dmitry found a small crevice to take shelter in. Not really a cave, but a parting of rock between a worn away hillside. It served its purpose, which was to break the wind._

_There, he laid out a pile of pine branches he had been able to break off with his forearms, –his fingers were far too stiff and weak to wrench the wood apart– managed to gather some dead grass from beneath the inches of snow, and then began the long process or working his knife out of its holster. _

_He had to force his fingers closed around the hilt, and then his other hand closed around that hand, just to hold it steady. Under his foot was an angular stone with which he hoped to cause some sparks to light the dead grass and subsequently, the wood._

_It was an arduous task, that. Dmitry grew frustrated that he was not able to bring as much force upon the stone as he knew he could, due to the cold and his stiffened joints. The clang and scraping of the metallic blade against rock was grating on his nerves as the minutes wore on, but the constant, repeating motion loosened his muscles after a time which allowed him to strike sparks._

_Even then, it didn't work on the first attempt, and he sat for he knew not how long, stroking the blade over the rock, showering his kindling with tiny particles of life-giving heat._

_When finally there was light, Dmitry swore he heard a chorus in the wind. The small heat source showered him in warmth as he knelt down further, huddling close. Over time it expanded, lighting the piles of pine wood and leaves, leaving him a modest but oh so warm flame. He laid his clothes out flat, hoping they would dry out enough to allow him to re-don them._

_His survival secured for the short moment, he wished desperately to sleep, but that was no longer a luxury he could afford. He was woefully behind his expected schedule to the wall, he was not yet trusting in his health, and there were still three direwolves that had his scent, and would surely find a way to pursue him yet. Water would only deter them for so long until their bloodlust overpowered their dislike of the streams._

_He refused to be caught unawares. _

_It did leave him with something of a problem however. The escape at the stream was a stroke of unbelievable luck, something that would never work twice. If he encountered the direwolves again, he would need some way of defending himself. A knife would not be sufficient, especially since he had likely dulled it after creating the fire. It was more useful as a tool than a weapon in his situation anyway._

_First, Dmitry resolved, he must warm his hands. Crafting anything required flexile fingers and a reliable grip, which he did not yet possess. _

_The Dmitry he would one day become remembered the night leading into the sun of the third day had yet to provide its truest challenge._

* * *

"Oh my god," screamed Vin. "Oh my god, they're dead! They're all dead!"

Jay snagged the scout by his chest-plate, giving him a few violent shakes. Returned to his senses, he focused on the Ranger's masked face.

"Keep it together," she snarled. "Maybe they are, maybe they aren't; we have a job to do, now get your fucking head in the game! We'll figure things out when we're not exposed and we have our goddamn explosives!"

"Speaking of exposed," chimed in Rei.

Jay took one glance up, realized two Blackbirds were closing in on them, and shoved both scouts forward. The trio bolted for what limited cover they could garner from the entrance way to the second missile battery. A barrage of feathers came down, narrowly missing their bunched-together mass against the wall.

Jay pressed a finger to her ear-piece.

"Yo, Keller, we're gonna have to improvise. Viper's down along with the rest of the team, not sure on their status. I'm here with two of the scouts from X-Ray, we're going to try and draw the heat toward us. You're going to have to send someone out here to grab those explosives."

"_Understood, standby."_

A moment later they crackled back onto the line.

"_Alright, ready on your go."_

"Go on my mark. 3…2…1…Mark!"

Upon reaching the end of her countdown, Jay leapt and rolled from behind the corner, brought her weapon to bear, and opened fire with as much accuracy as she could. Vin and Rei followed suit, firing their SMGs wildly into the sky after the Blackbirds.

Another barrage rained down on them, narrowly missing skewering all three of them. The desired result was being achieved however, the Blackbirds were focusing entirely on them, and ignoring Blake as she bounded across the distance with a speed and agility that no human on Earth could match.

The Faunus covered the no-mans-land in mere seconds, sliding to a stop at the now corpse of the engineer that used to be York. She felt remorse for not having done more to help him, and made sure to yank free his tags as Keller had instructed, but otherwise she pushed those thoughts away as she unsheathed Gambol Shroud, cutting the satchel-full of explosives free from his body. Firmly in hand, she turned back to make her dash back.

Only three steps into the return trip, and the third Blackbird descended upon her, unconcerned with the annoyances its two comrades were idling with. Blake reflexively dodged to the side, leaving a shadowy trail in her wake. The Blackbird slammed its beak down on his shadow as Blake rolled to safety.

As the Grimm recovered, Blake got to her feet, and jumped, leaving behind another shadow. The Black bird attacked this shadow as well, cleanly missing the Huntress as she bounded up onto the avian beast's head. A quick sprint, finished by an even mightier leap, sent her soaring past and away from her foe, and a well-stuck roll salvaged her momentum.

A trail of feathers followed her, forcing her to shift from shadow to shadow, creating multiple blurry copies of herself to confuse the aim of the Blackbird.

She was so pre-occupied with dodging the projectiles, she failed to notice to giant bird leap over her, talons digging into the metal beneath it, allowing it to turn to her as it landed. It's head came down on her mid-teleport, finally seeing through her rouse. There was no dodging it.

Rather, there would have been no dodging it, had Yang not been there in an instant, hair on fire, eyes shining crimson in the dark like vengeful suns.

"Don't you touch her!" she screamed, her fist flying forward, cracking against the Nevermore's beak.

At first Blake's heart practically stopped, fearing Yang had just destroyed her hand, but the reality of it was more awe-striking. It wasn't Yang's hand that has snapped. It was the beak.

A massive chunk of the top half of its back shattered off, flying off the edge of the wall. The Nevermore went along with it soon after, Yang's blow being so great as to knock the Grimm off balance, onto its side, and sliding across the roof. Weak caws could be heard below, and soon after a feathered silhouette fleeing into the distance.

Blake stood dumbfounded for a brief second before being grabbed by Yang and pulled back through the slim opening in the door.

"Charges secure, charges secure; we're in the clear."

"_Under-fucking-stood!" _she cried out, clearly excited._ "We're pulling the hell back! Leave the door open for us so I can give those teenagers a goddamn high-five, that was sick!"_

* * *

_An hour after making the fire, Dmitry felt confident enough to venture back into the cold. His hands felt functional again at last, and as he gripped the thick branch of the nearest pine tree, he felt sufficient strength. With the help of his knife, he was able to hack it half-way through, and rip it off the rest of the way. _

_The branch was perhaps the width of his arm, and twice the length. Dmitry nodded as he inspected it, it would do._

_Back at the fire, he hacked it in half yet again, leaving him with two arm-sized pieces of wood. He spent he knew not how long carving away at the lumber, creating pointed ends, and stripping down the flanks for easy grip. Makeshift wooden spears were not the ideal weapon when fighting Grimm, and truly he hoped to not fight them at all, but he feared that it might be an inevitability._

_Still, he had heard of Rangers killing Grimm with much the same implements –less even. If he was to be a Ranger, he must be able to do the same._

_His arms were worn out by the time his weapons were completed, and he crawled around the fire to check his clothes. They were still damp, not quite ready. He would have to wait a bit longer he supposed._

_The fire still roared, having brought back more kindling when gathering the spear branches._

_In the distance, a trio of howls carried through the old forest._

* * *

Weiss coughed violently as she tried to prop herself up from the floor. Dmitry lay sprawled out on top of her, having grasped him to ensure his safety during the chaotic downward spiral. She looked over to see Ruby and Malik on their hands and knees, as well as the members of Indigo slumped in their seats. Korva was already standing, leaning against the wall for balance as blood trickled down the side of her head, mask visor cracked.

"Sound off," she called.

"Still here," answered Malik.

"I'm okay," replied Ruby.

Weiss shook her head, trying in vain to clear out her dizziness.

"I'm alright," she said, then quickly checked Dmitry's pulse. Still there, though it felt weaker than before. He was running out of time.

"Dmitry is still alive."

"DeMarco's KIA, looks like the impact took it to her neck," reported Malik. "The rest are out cold. Young, you there?"

He replied with a long groan.

"I think I busted my arm."

"Everyone, get the wounded rounded up. Malik, secure DeMarco's tags," commanded Korva. "I'll go check on Viper. Let's move."

* * *

"Sure wish the power was on for these things," said Jay, as she and X-Ray reached the bottom of the service lift ladder with Indigo and the Huntresses.

Yang grunted below her. "I hear that."

"Yeah well, we're almost where we need to be," called Keller, from near the bottom. "Just get back into the maintenance corridors, drop down a few more levels, and pop two more support clusters, then we'll have ourselves a nice coordinated network of explosives."

"Great," replied Jay, hopping down from the ladder. "Well, given our luck today, splitting up is probably not a great idea, so let's just double-time it gang. Then we'll figure out how the hell we're getting out of here and not get buried under hundreds of tons of metal."

"And hopefully contact the others," she said, more quietly.

* * *

Far above the plight of Saber, Indigo and RWBY, a new combatant readied themselves to enter the fray. Just over 400 km above the planet surface, well within the Earth's Thermosphere, was a vessel. If one were able to see the side of the ship, it would bear the black, worn lettering of the UNAD _Helena._

The United Nations Atmospheric Defense was the youngest of the already young military's branches, having only been officially founded two decades prior. _Helena_ was one of three Sleipnir Class Megacarriers, stretching a gargantuan 550 meters long, and outweighing in tonnage even the largest naval supercarrier four times over and then some. As such, its compliment of arms and weapons was equally larger.

The largest surface-bound supercarriers carried roughly one-hundred aircraft of varying class and model. _Helena_ boasted three times as many crafts, as well as the ability to orbitally insert a battalions worth of UNDF Marines, plus armor support, through the use of bulk drop-pods. It came equipped with sixty CIWS auto-cannons, an ARTEMIS defense grid, ninety batteries of AXS/AXA Shrieker missiles, and a dozen high-impact electromagnetic slug launchers. The latter two weapons could be fired to strike targets on the surface with remarkable accuracy.

As the pinnacle of human military science approached its designated orbital-vector, Captain Takeo Basara sat back in his command chair. The bridge of the Helena was unlike what he had imagined as a boy, it being essentially a spaceship. For over a hundred years, popular fiction had shaped what a starship should look like, but the realities of physics were not so conducive to the fantasies of boyhood.

No, the bridge of the famous _Enterprise_ was not an ever rotating cylinder. For all its advances in science, humanity had yet to truly master gravity, and instead offered an imitation. Much of the vessel was built around a series of rotating sections which provided the illusion of gravity in their guided eternal freefall above Earth. In the larger cylinders, which ran near the entire central length of the vessel, one could almost forget there was any motion at all. Their size allowed for a slower rotation speed. The command deck was its own small, contained unit of such a rotating section, which necessitated a faster revolution, but "faster" was very relative, as even then, the deck revolved at only a few kilometers an hour. It could be dizzying, even nauseating, the first time around, but UNAD personnel were specially trained and given medication to avoid motion sickness.

As such, Takeo's chair extended out into the center, at the end of an axial walkway, where the force of rotation was effectively zero, allowing him to leap up or down to any corner of the bridge as he wished. With enough oomph, any of his bridge crew could leap "up" and traverse the length or width of the entire deck, though to avoid injury and clutter, crew members were asked to walk unless the need was pressing. Takeo himself was firmly rooted in his chair thanks to the help of then metal plates in his cushion, and micro-magnetic filaments in the fabric of his uniform and gloves. They aided him and his crew grasp hold of even smooth surfaces, so as to further reduce the risk of injury in weightlessness.

No, it was not the typical bridge that he had dreamed of as a boy, but looking at the "base" of the bridge cylinder, which was a massive display screen which currently presented him a few of the Earth below via the external visual sensors, a display so photorealistic he sometimes believed he could float out into the great beyond if he just so much as leaped forward, he was content. _Helena_ was his ship, his starship. This, his crew. These, their voyages.

"Sir," spoke the helmsman. "We're approaching our target orbit."

"Very good. Prepare to take a geosynchronous orbit. Comms, get me ship-wide speakers."

"Aye sir," both officers echoed.

After a moment, the Comms officer turned to him and nodded.

"Attention all hands," Takeo spoke. "This is Captain Basara. Prepare for geosynchronous orbit maneuvers, please secure yourselves in Class 2 restraints until further notice. Basara out."

The helmsman glanced over his shoulder at the Captain.

"Thrust vectors are ready on your go, Captain."

"Fire primary thrusters once the crew has checked in with Ops, Ensign. Everyone, strap in."

As one, the bridge crew drew safety restraints from the shoulders of their seats and strapped themselves down, in preparation for the inevitable turbulence and G-forces. Captain Basara sat expectantly in his chair, as the faint pings from the Ops. Station indicated that departments and crew sections were reporting a green status for geosynchronous maneuvers.

What _Helena's_ crew essentially had to do was just slow down, or speed up, depending on how you wanted to look at it. Direction in space had the nasty habit of being relative. From Alaska, which they had been holding a geosynchronous orbit over previously, they fired thrusters to fight against the eternal freefall Helena was in. This essentially allowed the Earth to pass under them as they periodically fired thrusters to maintain a stable altitude within the Thermosphere.

Now, they were approaching their destination, and so required they once again match the speed of the planet -roughly 7.8 km/s, no challenge for the thrusters aboard _Helena_\- and re-enter freefalling orbit above the Ural Wall, though not directly above. Rotational drift had to be accounted for when launching drop-pods. The pod's on-board guidance software and thruster-rigs would take care of the more precise landing coordination, but _Helena_ still had to ensure that the margin for error in landing was below 10%.

"All crew sections and departments report ready for maneuvers, Captain," informed the Ops. officer.

"Fire thrusters."

"Firing thrusters, aye."

A split second later, the whole ship jerked and shook as they began to decelerate from one direction, and accelerate to another. Even from within the thick hull of Helena, the crew and Captain could feel themselves being pulled and pushed along as inertia did its work. Had they not been secured within their seats, they surely would have been thrown off them, or slammed back into them.

The maneuver lasted perhaps a minute at most.

"Maneuver complete, orbit stable," reported the helmsman.

"Good, stand down restraint order, inform all decks, and inform pilots and marines to begin drop procedures. Ops, deploy a type-1 telemetry package over the breach, I'd like to see what we're working with."

"Aye sir, telemetry package launching. ETA one minute."

A type-1 telemetry package was a rocket propelled, two-stage communications and surveillance rig. Fired at the surface at a burst of several thousand miles an hour, the first stage breaks apart after several seconds, deploying a protective frame which lies around a large surveillance drone. Just before reaching the troposphere, the frame detaches in one unified piece, deploying parachutes to avoid collateral damage. The drone then sits at a comfortable 20-25 thousand meters above the surface.

"Receiving preliminary readings now."

"On screen," ordered the Captain.

The image at the base of the command cylinder flipped to a mostly monotone, but slightly green tinged view of the breach. The dark masses on the surface, which the computer was reading as Grimm, still poured through the wall, indicating the breach had yet to be sealed off.

"Can we determine the condition of ground forces in the area?"

"One moment," replied the Ops. officer. "IFFs read 3rd Brigade of the 43rd MDD is engaging Grimm forces roughly twenty kilometers outside Kotova. Estimated 88% combat effective, and dropping. Majority of 43rd is holding position within Kotova city limits."

"Very well, begin designating drop-zones, and begin countdown to insertion. In the meantime-"

"Captain," interrupted the comms officer. "The satellite is picking up some faint radio transmissions from beyond the wall."

"Beyond the wall?"

"It appears to be an emergency transponder signal, Chimera VTOL, Army. There is also a short-range signal, likely personnel radio, could be ground-forces."

"Get it on-screen. Can we pick up their signal?" Basara asked Ops.

The officer nodded, already at work at his station.

"Our receiver should be strong enough, one moment."

The screen blipped to a close up of the crash site. From their altitude, details were not crystal clear, but a crash-site could be seen, and recent, given the roaring flames. Multiple small heat signatures were huddled around, likely tending to wounded and gaining their bearings.

"…_of Ranger team Saber, requesting immediate dust-off. I say again, this is Captain Tasha Korva of Ranger team Saber, requesting immediate dust-off. We have several wounded, and our evac bird is down."_

"Sir," said Ops. "There is a substantial force of Grimm bearing down on their position from the East and South. ETA is maybe two and a half minutes."

"Get me a channel."

The Comms officer nodded. "Aye sir, channel open."

"Captain Korva, this is Captain Basara of the Helena. We are in orbit over your position, preparing to deploy reinforcements. You have a large Grimm force closing in, can you move North?"

A crackle of static met them, then evened out as a female voice cut through.

"_Negative Captain, too many wounded. Is there anything you can do to help us?"_

"Standby Captain," said Basara, then turned to his Ops. officer. "Are the marine's ready for launch?"

"The first wave, sir. Should I order deployment?"

He nodded. "Yes, deploy them now. Weapons, get me targeting solutions on those Grimm for the starboard railguns. As soon as the pods are clear of your line of fire, go loud, three two-burst salvos."

"Three two-burst salvos, aye. Acquiring targets."

"Pods are away Captain, four minutes to surface impact," update the Ops. officer.

"Targets acquired captain, pods will be clear in thirty seconds. Estimated time to impact, twenty-seven seconds."

"Acknowledged," he replied, opening the communications channel once more. "Captain, I suggest you hang onto something. Medevac is being prepped; in the meantime, we're sending some thunder your way, danger-close. I repeat, thunder will be danger-close."

"_Incoming thunder is danger-close, we copy Captain."_

"ETA on impact is forty seconds, brace yourselves. Helena out."

Basara watched his heads up display intently, which had become a much broader simulated map of the terrain, as a mass of red slowly descended upon the small flicker of green that was the emergency transponder.

The only thing left to do for the Captain was to wait, as the electromagnetically propelled rounds prepared to drive through the atmosphere like a stake, travelling at .00005% the speed of light, or roughly fifteen-thousand meters a second. The rounds themselves were only the size of a human fist, but at those speeds, and being composed primarily of depleted uranium, even something that small would create a devastating impact.

"Pods clear, salvo one is away…salvo two, away…salvo three away. All shots confirmed, first impact in twenty-two seconds."

* * *

_Once more, Dmitry had braved the chilling winds with nary but the hair on his head to keep him warm. The night was deep; judging by the position of the moon in the sky, clearly past midnight. Morning would come soon, he thought to himself. Time was running low, but venturing away from his shelter without his clothes was foolish. Making it to the wall would do him no good if he died of exposure._

_He carried his knife and one of his spears with him. The howls had resounded through the trees not so long ago, and his fears of the direwolves' pursuit seemed more real now than ever._

_He had required yet more wood for his fire. His fatigues were nearly wearable again, but the fire had dwindled, and so he trudged out into the snow, freeing more branches. As he tore off the last of the wood he needed, he halted in place._

_Footsteps. Certainly not human, too heavy, and the initiation was such that recruits were dropped far enough away from one another to ensure they never encountered one another. They were clear enough to hear well, implying proximity, and his "camp" was all the way up an open slope. _

_Dmitry dropped everything except for his crafted spear, and did the next best thing. He leapt up, and began climbing the tree. _

_About half-way up the length of the pine, he hung and waited, watching through the prickly needle-leaves. _

_Beneath him, a familiar snarl hung low in the air. Through the veil of foliage, he could see the midnight black fur, and fiery red eyes of the direwolf. Only one, could it have been separated from its pack-brothers? No, direwolves never traveled alone. The other two had to be nearby._

_Dmitry's past-self realized just as his future-self remembered. The other two direwolves were attracted to the fire; his clothes had lay next to it for hours, the smoke likely carried some of his scent downwind with it. The singular direwolf was probably investigating his tracks; his previous forays had been buried beneath new snow, but this trip's tracks were still very fresh._

_The direwolf below him growled louder as it slashed at the bark of the tree. Three chunks of wood snapped away from the trunk. Another slash, another chip into the trunk._

_It was chopping the tree down –chopping it to search it for him!_

_He had to act fast. Running was not an option, his only safe haven was finally compromised, and at this distance the direwolf beneath him would run him down in seconds. Dmitry gripped his wooden spear. There was nothing to be done._

_Nothing, except to strike first._

_The rustle of the leaves the only sound produced from his leap, he let gravity increase the force of his thrust. His spear sunk into the hide of the direwolf as he rammed it through the back. The head was not a target for obvious reasons, and the back of the neck was fatty, far too resilient. The back, however, had taunt, thin hide, easily pierced. Of course Dmitry of the past did not know this, he had simply struck where he thought best, but his future incarnation watched the battle play out, and for once, did not feel embarrassed of his decisions._

_The weapon plunged down into one of the beast's lungs, collapsing it. It stumbled and fell, not dead, but wounded, which is all Dmitry needed. He grabbed his knife from the ground as the direwolf rolled onto its back, trying to get the offending object out of its back, but only pushing it in deeper as a result. As it thrashed, Dmitry stabbed his knife into the direwolf's throat, and with both hands, dragged it as hard as he could._

_It became caught on the tough muscle, and Dmitry fell back. He scrambled back as the direwolf rolled upright, pouncing forward, landing on top of him. Its massive claws missed his limbs by a hair, but he now stared directly into the jaws of death. The beast opened its mouth and snapped at him, but only bit snow._

_In a move that shocked even the beast, Dmitry reached up with his hands, his right grasping the knife, his left shoved into the throat wound he had created, found the esophagus –fleshy, pulsing, red-hot– and squeezed. The roar grew quieter. The hand with the knife drew it free, and worked it into the wound as well, slicing veins, arteries, muscle, anything Dmitry could get._

_The roar died. The direwolf died and slid down on top of him, its blood washing over his face and body. It dripped into his mouth, tasting of oil and smoke, until finally his own throat burned like fire._

_He was left panting, incredulous that he was even alive. There were more footsteps in the distance, but they stopped. _

_There was silence for a moment, then a pair of howls._

_Then footsteps again, growing quieter, until Dmitry could no longer hear them._

_It was a half-hour before Dmitry was able to worm his way out from underneath the direwolf. Its pack-mates had wandered off, perhaps giving up the search, perhaps believing him dead with their comrade. He was unsure, but what mattered was that his camp was once again safe, and his clothes were finally dry. His boots were still a bit squishy on the inside, but other than that, he couldn't complain._

_He was regrettably unable to retrieve the spear he had used against the direwolf. It was buried too deeply in its back, and so he left it behind, taking his knife._

_It wasn't long, as he continued down the stream he had been following thus far, that the sun began to rise, marking the beginning of the third and final day. In the sunlight, he could see the wall in the distance. Its proximity was a relief, but there was still a large amount of ground to cover, and only a few more hours to do it in._

_He would have to buckle down and keep a good pace._

* * *

"Grab onto someone then heads down, cover your ears!" cried Korva. "I said HEADS DOWN!"

The few of the team that was left conscious obeyed the Captains frantic instructions. She herself secured Viper, who was still alive and kicking except for the probable concussion, and one of the engineers, as Malik grabbed hold of another two of the downed members of Indigo. Ruby held onto the wounded Young, while Weiss clutched Dmitry.

For a few scant seconds there was nothing, but Korva had ordered them to the ground, and no-one dared move. They covered their ears tightly while burying themselves as deeply into the mud as possible, and waited. It began with a shrill whine that was audible even through their clenched ears. The whine over the course of a handful of seconds, began to sound more like a low flying's jet's afterburner, until it was almost too loud to bear.

Ruby had to suppress a yelp when suddenly the entire world seemed to shudder. The air seemed to suddenly snap, like dozens of lightning strikes were all happening simultaneously. The ground shook beneath them, almost lifting them up, and wind suddenly blasted over them like a hurricane, moving so fast that under the slick earth they actually slid some ways.

The roar was deafening, threatening to pop their eardrums. Just as suddenly as it began, however, it ceased. Particles of dirt still wafted through the air, and up turned mud and water now came pouring down with the rest of the rain. As those would could, rose, they witnessed the result of the barrage.

For kilometers stretching to the southeast, craters marred the landscape, and dismembered chunks of what used to be Grimm slowly disintegrated into smoky residue. Not a single movement could be seen, not a sound beyond the patter of the rain penetrated the now stagnant air, not that they could hear much anyway. Even closed as they were, the impacts had left everyone's hearing temporarily muffled.

"_Thi…con…gagi…at…try…ET..inutes…py, ov..."_

Korva had to take the ear-piece out and massage her ears for a moment, flexing her jaw to try and get some hearing back.

"This is Korva, say again? Over!" she shouted.

"_This is Falcon 2-5, we are engaging entry, ETA is three minutes, do you copy? Over!"_

"We copy Falcon! Be advised, one of our Rangers has been bitten with Widow Cardiotoxins! He has high levels of field stimulants in his system! Over!"

"_Roger that Captain, we have medical personnel aboard on standby. See you in a minute, Falcon out."_

* * *

"Jesus, did something explode out there?" muttered Rei, looking to Vin who shrugged in confusion. Meanwhile, Keller just tapped away at his tablet.

"Aaaand…that should do it," said Keller. "Network is fully synched, we're 100% good to go to blow this sucker."

Rei looked around. "Seriously, is nobody concerned about that?"

Jay clasped her gloved hands together.

"Small miracles! Now what's the best way out of here?"

"Okay, I guess not," the scout said to himself.

Keller was already sweeping through his tablet, trying to work out a route that would work.

"Well, there's no way we're getting exfil from Viper, and we don't know if the others are still alive-"

"-but assuming they are," interrupted Jay.

"Assuming they are," Keller continued. "we need to contact someone for transport. There's no way we're getting anywhere outside on foot, on either side. The power is out on the wall here, but if we can get further down to a new grid-section, one connected to one of the working secondary power-line that the Captain's group got running, we can use the communications systems there to call back to the FOB. From there we-"

"_Lieutenant Jackson, this is Falcon 2-5, do you copy? We are on-station, prepared to provide dust-off"_

"Or we could just do that," muttered Keller.

"Falcon 2-5, we're here. Most of our group went down in a Chimera on the bad side of the wall, they require emergency evac, over."

"_Affermative, they've been secured. Hostiles are still in the area, but give us an LZ and we'll swing by. Over."_

"Standby, Falcon."

Jay turned to Keller.

"What's the-"

"Falcon, this is First Sergeant Keller," he said, already having worked out an escape. "Give us a few minutes, and meet us top-side. We'll radio you when we're there."

"_Understood, waiting for your call. Falcon, out."_

"Alright," breathed the engineer. "Now it's just back-tracking."

A groan front Yang echoed through the corridors as her shoulders slumped.

"Man, we have to go all the way back up again?"

Blake gripped her shoulder with a consoling smile.

"Just think of the explosions, Yang. Go to your happy-place."

* * *

_Dmitry had believed that he was finally free of the direwolves after the night had passed. The wall grew ever closer to him, under ten kilometers now, he ball-parked. It was the final stretch, and he was foolish enough to believe himself home-free. The Dmitry of the present looked back with the knowledge that there was no such thing as home-free. If the mission wasn't over, there was still time for everything to go belly-up._

_And that's exactly what happened._

_A deep thump shook the air around him, then more, and more. At first, he was confused. It didn't sound like anything approaching him by ground; if anything it sounded like it had come in the direction of the wall. He was still considering what the noise could have been when the ground shook under his feet, and roughly a half-kilometer from where he stood, an explosion racked the forest floor and violently uprooted several trees._

_Suddenly he realized. He'd passed into the range of the wall's artillery guns. In fact, he'd been within range for quite a while, but the targeting range had been dialed down for the initiation. _

_They would never fire on a human target, he could be told from a Grimm by heat signature alone. This left only one other explanation, and that was that he was still being hunted._

_Dmitry immediately broke into a cold sprint._

_Even friendly artillery was dangerous when it was dropping down on your head; the cannons knew who was friend and who was foe, but shells lacked the distinction. His only hope now was to get to the wall as quickly as possible, and hope whatever was following him was obliterated until the shelling._

_Trees passed him by, but the thundering didn't stop. What was worse, they kept pace with him. Their target was moving, moving toward him._

_He tried keeping his running pace, but he was exhausted, stiff, aching. He was terrified every step that his leg would give way under him and send him tumbling. He couldn't stop; he wanted to desperately, but to stop was to die, and he refused to die. He was so close, he couldn't give up._

_The snow, which after the last two nights, now climbed nearly a foot, made movement a chore, and he kicked up the powder with every step he took. Kicked up so much that he didn't even notice when a shell exploded behind him until he'd been lifted up off the ground by the force of the blast._

_He landed hard on his side. There was a snap and a sharp pain, but he couldn't have heard it. His hearing was muffled, barely existent, balance disrupted. Dmitry gasped greedily for air –every inch of it had been knocked out of him. Blood dripped from his arm, back, and the side of his head._

_Up. He needed to get up. The cannons were zeroing in hard, and he was right in the middle. _

_Dmitry rolled onto his stomach, using his uninjured arm to push himself up. A sudden wave of nausea hit him all at once, and he vomited, a thick, clear-ish bile. It burned. _

_He spit it out, ignored it. A mighty push to his feet, and he stood, shaking. _

_The stumbling toward the wall after that was a blur for both Dmitrys. He didn't quite remember much of the rest, until he tumbled down from a sudden drop from an outcropping of rock. He kept a momentum, and found it easier to roll onto his feet again than the first time. The artillery was quiet suddenly. Just as suddenly as it had appeared. Were his pursuers dead, or had he passed beyond their automated minimum firing range? The wall loomed so much larger, it was possible._

_Dmitry rose up again and made to continue his scramble to the wall, only to find a pair of direwolves standing in front of him. _

_That answered that question._

_He glanced to his sides, only to find more direwolves. There were now at least eight or nine surrounding him._

_They stopped where they were, snarling viciously, saliva dripping from their jaws, but none made a move on him. Instead, they all looked to the rock behind him and howled in unison. _

_He turned to look upon a direwolf unlike the others. Its back was lined with bony spines, and it was easily half a size bigger than its brethren. Its eyes were blazing rubies, set upon him. Dmitry fingered the grip of his knife. _

_Death; that was all that was left for him now. Nine direwolves and their Alpha? He couldn't hope to defeat even one of them in his state. But he could try._

_The Alpha leapt down from its perch, and stepped toward Dmitry. He slid his knife out of its holster, breathing heavily, shaking to remain standing, coated in sweat and blood, both his and the dried crust of the slain direwolf._

_A swift slash, or bite, was what he expected, but that was not what came. What took its place was an event Dmitry was still not sure how to explain._

_The Alpha pressed its snout close to Dmitry, who could not bring himself to move an inch even if he'd wanted to. A sharp inhale from the beast, as if takin in his scent. Again. Again._

_It stepped back once, then looked him in the eyes. Their gazes met._

_A roar, louder and deeper than any he'd ever heard, even through his damaged hearing, was unleashed. He could feel the hot breath, rancid and smelling of oil and ash, wash over his face. Dmitry stared down its throat, its row of gnashing, jagged teeth portrayed for all to see. _

_The roar was several seconds long, in which time Dmitry was completely unmoving. When it ended, the Alpha returned its gaze to Dmitry. Looking to him, expectantly, it almost seemed._

_An unexplainable rage built up within his chest, manifesting from perceived nothingness. It was a rage he had never known he possessed, but it demanded freedom. It demanded to be heard._

_He did as it commanded, and for the first time in years, before and after, Dmitry screamed. Screamed until his throat burned. All the while, he and the Alpha never ceased their shared gaze. _

_When finally he fell silent, his chest pumping, grabbing for air, the Alpha was quiet from a moment. Then, a puff of hot air blasted out of the direwolf's nostrils. It almost felt like acknowledgement._

_Then it turned, leapt back up to the rock, and left._

_They all left._

_No growling, no snarls, not even an attempt at his life. They all filed away, silently, and left him._

_Dmitry remembered standing in that place for a long time after that, before his memory became blurry again. He had vague memories of a VTOL, of people yelling for him, but nothing concrete. Really, the only thing he remembered after that, was-_

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Yeah, he thought. That.

White surrounded him. Everything, so very white. Like snow.

Like snow and winter.

It was comforting somehow, despite his dreams, to be enshrouded by white.

Strange.

* * *

"UUUGH," growled Yang, as she clawed at the top of the lift-shaft. "I never want to see a ladder again in my life!"

She had been the last one to reach the top, the rest of the group already filing out into the rain, Jay calling down their ride.

"And now we're getting wet again, great," she grumbled, running her hands through her precious hair. She was going to need a hell of a shower after this one.

Already the rhythmic thumping of UNDF rotors cut through the chill and winds as Falcon 2-5 came in on approach, gently hovering near the edge of the wall's roof, it's hatch open and waiting. Already, the thought of meeting back up with her sister and Weiss, and getting the hell off the wall was making her feel better.

"Alright, let's move people, we've got a wall to blow and Grimm to crush," called Jay, waving the group on. "Indigo, hop on first."

As instructed, the engineers clamored up the ramp, Keller being the last one to go up.

"Alright, X-Ray, then you two," she said, pointing at Yang and Blake.

As Rei and Vin headed up to the Wyvren, the vessel suddenly began to pull off, shutting it's hatch.

"_Shit, Lieutenant, hold tight, radar's got hostile's bearing down on us, two airbornes. We'll try to shake em off and pass back around."_

As the VTOL broke off and sped southward, two distinct caws pierced the air, and black, shadowy figures glided through the sky. They both soared in pursuit of the Wyvren.

"Are you KIDDING ME? MORE?" roared Yang.

"Fuck," Jay hissed. "No way they'll last against two. We've got to take the heat off."

"How are we supposed to do that?" asked Rei.

Jay reached to her back, and produced a small gun. A flare gun. She the grabbed Vin, patting his vest pouches until she stopped at one, ripped it open, and produced a pair of hand-flares.

"Blackbirds are nothing more than giant birds, and like birds, they are dumb, stupid idiots who love bright, shiny things. So we are going to get oh so very bright and shiny," she said, now rummaging through Rei's pouches, grabbing his flares.

"I say this with all due respect, Lieutenant," said Vin. "But what the hell are we supposed to do when the damn harpies actually do come after us?"

Jay's eyes immediately went to Yang and Blake.

"Oh, I see how it is," said the blonde. "I punch one Nevermore in the face, and suddenly I'm the Nevermore-exterminator."

"I think what Yang is getting at," said Blake. "Is that a Nevermore is _usually_ tough even for us. If Ruby or Weiss were down here for support, maybe, but we don't have the range they do, and our weapons don't pack quite the punch we need to outright kill it."

What they needed then, was more firepower, Jay thought to herself. Where to get more firepower on the fly?

She looked up into the sky, trying to think, hoping for answers, when one quite literally was sitting right above her.

Jay turned around, realizing they were standing next to one of the missile batteries.

"Oh, yeah," she grinned to herself.

"Think you can get me up there?" she asked, looking to the Huntresses.

Blake's ears perked up. "I mean…I could, sure, but why…"

"One second," Jay said excitedly, rushing back towards the lift, and then re-emerging a second later carrying a metallic, red box on a strap around her shoulder.

"Alright, do whatever you need to do."

Blake nodded, and drew Gambol Shroud, collapsing it into its most compact form, and chucked it up at the side of the missile battery. The blade embedded itself firmly in the side-paneling. She then tugged at the black fabric which hung from the hilt, making sure it was secure, then handed it to Jay. The Ranger whistled.

"Nifty little gadget. Much obliged, Meow-Mix. Now you all sit tight, but be ready. Chuckle-one, Chuckle-two, you boys get ready to pop as many flare as you have, and then shoot into the air like idiots."

"I'm sure that won't be hard for them," teased Yang.

"Hey!" Vin whined.

"And you two," she said, looking back to the Huntresses. "I'm gonna be chucking a nice, big chunk of metal at you in about a minute. Please, don't drop it."

"What exactly are you doing?" asked Blake as Jay began climbing up the battery.

She looked over her shouldering, a mischievous grin beneath her mask.

"You want more boom, I'll get you more boom!"

"What does that mean?" muttered Blake.

"I dunno," replied Yang. "But I like the sound of it."

Jay was nearing the end of Gambol Shroud's fabic when she began to swing, slowly building momentum. After a couple swings, she managed to get herself up to the rim of the launcher and grabbed on with a hand, while also hooking both her heels around. After finding some footing, she flipped herself around so that she was facing the innards of the battery, and let go of Gambol Shroud, which Blake yanked free with a mighty pull.

Now secure, she popped open the tool-box, and set to work with her equipment. Jay was no technician, nor was she an engineer or a scientist, but if there was one thing in the world she did know about, it was explosives. And she was going to crack that missile open like the cream-egg it was, for the gooey, warhead center.

Down below, Vin and Rei moved to the far end of the wall, laying out all their flares and holding Jay's flare gun. Yang and Blake, meanwhile, stood dutifully below Jay, waiting for whatever it was she was doing. All they could really make out was the faint light glow of her visor, and the occasional spark, until finally she leaned back and waved at them, reached into the battery, and tossed a large metal object about the size of one of their heads. Blake caught it perfectly, cradling it in her hands.

"_Listen up you two,"_ Jay said over the radio. _"I rigged it to a timer, so when you get that sucker onto one of the Blackbirds, press that red button on the control panel, then fucking run."_

"Okay, got it," answered Yang.

"_Boys, begin your flailing."_

"_Uh, right, roger," _replied Vin.

The two began by firing the flare into the sky, bright red light bathing the entire area in its glow as it hissed along its arc. They followed it up by popping their four flares and laying them out all around them, and then firing their SMG's into the sky in short bursts, screaming all the while.

Jay looked on from her perch, hoping it worked, when she heard a crackle come from her radio.

"_Lieutenant, I don't know what you're doing over there, but one of the hostiles just broke off. You've got incoming."_

"Excellent news," she said to herself, then popped back on the radio.

"Alright Supergirls, you're up. Show mama what you're made of!"

The two Huntresses exchanged looks, Yang grinning.

"You ready for the Cat-apult?"

"We really need to work on that name," Blake sighed.

"I think it's great!"

"You would," the Faunus grinned back.

The two took position in the center of the roof, waiting for the Nevermore to show itself. The light from the flare-gun actually game them an advantage, making the black-feathered beast easily visible when it finally did appear. The Huntresses waited for their time to strike, knowing it would likely stop for a few seconds to launch feathers at Rei and Vin.

The avian Grimm cawed loudly through the rain and darkness, and there, hovering above the pair from X-Ray, under the red glow of flare-light, it spread its wings wide.

"Cat-apult, load!" cried Yang as Blake back-flipped into the air, planting her feet firmly on her partner's fore-arm. With a heave of strength, Yang's hair suddenly blazing a fiery gold, the metal creaking beneath her feet, Blake rocketed into the air.

"And, LAUNCH!"

The Faunus took Gambol Shroud in hand, the fabric wrapped tightly around her wrist and forearm, and threw the blade at the Nevermore as she glided into range. The black-bladed weapon found its mark in the Grimm's throat as she flew past it. Dug as deep as it was, it anchored her to the Nevermore, pulling her along around the bird's throat, swinging all the way back around, wrapping the elastic cloth around its neck. From there, she was able to firmly land on the Nevermore's back.

Unfortunately, this caused the Grimm to panic, flapping its wings madly, and resulting in it going into a rear-vertical roll. Blake was lifted off her feet as she was lifted back up off its back and her fabric's grip loosened.

As Blake flew back and upside down, she ended up directly in the path of the Nevermore's gaping beak. The Huntress grit her teeth as she held out her free hand and braced her legs as she made contact, nearly flying directly into the Grimm's mouth, and only avoided being eaten because its beak tried to close on her, which she was able to just barely keep forced open.

She looked down at the warhead. Red button.

With no free fingers, she bashed her chin into the warhead's controls, successfully activated the timer, and chucked it into the Nevermore's mouth. Fifteen seconds, she thought to herself; she had fifteen seconds.

Figuring anywhere was going to be better than where she was, she activated her semblance, leaving only a shadow for the Grimm to devour, and leapt back off its beak, whipping Gambol Shroud's fabric completely loose as she did so, pulling the weapon free.

Repeating her previous strategy, she threw Gambol Shroud at the side of the wall, embedding it deeply. She freefell at an angle, meaning when the elastic fabric of her weapon did finally become taunt, the impact was thankfully not as massive as it could have been, though she still expended a considerable amount of aura preventing her from becoming a Faunus shaped splat along the smooth alloys.

She hung there, in pain and vulnerable, but alive at least. She was so relieved to have pulled the maneuver off, she barely heard the warhead as it exploded, sending inky-black bits of Grimm showering through the air. Instead, she breathed heavily and closed her eyes, calming her nerves.

Until an enormous crash and high-pitched screech jolted her back to awareness.

Her eyes opened to see the face of the second Nevermore, and tried to flail back, to avoid incoming attack.

Only after a moment did she realized the Nevermore was sliding down the wall's side, jaw slacked. Then she looked up to see Falcon hovering nearby, closing in on her. Had the second Nevermore been caught in the warhead's blast, and managed to kill both of them? It must have been an intentional maneuver, she thought, a last-second plan of Jay's. No way was any of their luck that good.

The rear hatch groaned open, Ruby and Weiss the first ones to the edge to help her inside. Consciously, she could hear them praising her for her daring move, but it was all something of a blur. Before she even knew it, they'd risen to the top of the wall, Gambol Shroud freed once again, and Jay, Vin, Rei, and Yang all cheering to high heavens as they leapt aboard.

"Fuck yeah!" shouted Jay. "I fucking love these kids!"

Yang ran straight up to Blake, wrapped her arms around her, and lifted her into the air, spinning her despite the cramped space.

"You were amazing, Blake! You should have seen the explosion –like a big, feathery firecracker!"

Blake couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm for destruction, and felt an extra twinge of pride.

"Yeah, yeah, champagne all around," interjected Keller, holding up the long awaited detonator. "Now let's move onto the grand finale."

As Falcon 2-5 pulled away from the wall, the pilot came on over the radio.

"_Please stand clear, hatch closing." _

That was when Captain Korva spoke up.

"Negative, Falcon," she said, gazing into the quickly fading breach.

"This is our victory lap."

Keller flipped open the cap, and in a moment of satisfaction, pressed the button. Instantly, precision timed flashes of light and distant booms like thunder flickered then died amidst the storm. The charges erupted in almost instantaneous extreme-low-yield runaway fusion reactions, essentially creating small stars, existing only for fractions of nano-seconds before cooling and fading away, but entirely atomizing anything within its direct contact. Zero-percent risk of blast-zone survival, no shrapnel, no debris, and due to an artificially manufactured isotope, complete radiation decay would occur over the course of twenty-four hours.

Extreme perhaps, but with conventional explosives, it would have taken three times the amount, and no one was going to complain if some of the Grimm died of radiation exposure in the time intervening. With the Helena overhead, clean-up teams would be deployed to make double-sure to eradicate any possible leftover radiation with nano-aerosols, but that wasn't a concern for Saber, RWBY, or Indigo. For the moment, as they watched the metallic behemoth crumble under its own weight, smashing what few Grimm still dared to pass under the breach, and jet-fighters screamed overhead, deployed from orbit to bomb the loose hordes, it finally sunk in that their part in the battle was well and truly over.

* * *

Far from the fiery devastation being rained down upon the Grimm, the Ural Mountains stood once more silent. Amidst the cold and still bodies of the long dead personnel of the communications facility which had played host to teams Saber and RWBY's first battle together, a sinister wind howled. A wind which sang the dirge of coming doom.

Thin wisps of barely visible steam gently rose from the dripping of fresh blood from a brutishly pulverized head. A body fell limp in the crushing grip of its killer as their brown, worn coat fluttered in the mountain air. He held his victim's face close to his, the shattered metallic and polymer mask and dully glowing green visor inched toward his own, a stark white thing, resembling bone, which covered his face down to just above his upper lip; a blank, featureless skull with only a red, painted, singular eye.

Others like him, but not the same, approached. Hooded, with masks which covered their mouths and gave them the appearance of beastly jaws. Their eyes burned crimson.

One of them stepped forward, and bowed by his knee.

"Have the rest been dealt with?" asked the man with the painted eye.

"They have, Father. UNDF troopers, and Rangers of the Scar; long have we observed their hunts of the holy beasts of this world. They are weak, but skilled; their presence bodes ill of our task here."

"The Huntresses?" he asked, outwardly unperturbed.

"The facility was successfully disable despite their interference," answered his subordinate. "But they have gone. The computer systems have also been tampered with recently. I fear the Huntresses of Beacon may have delayed us too long. It is possible the UNDF may be in possession of compromising information."

The Father nodded.

"And what of Apostle Daliah's mission to the South?"

"A success, Father. She proceeds according to our original plan –the UNDF suspect nothing for now, though the Huntresses present a potentially destructive loose end."

"They will be dealt with in due time, brother," he assured the kneeling figure. "Our priority now must be the location and destruction of the extracted data. Our hand must not be tipped."

"We continue to investigate the area, Father," he replied. "But as of yet, we have yielded nothing."

The Father turned away, his white trimmed black robes billowing as a gust of wind fell over them. His gaze turned to the edge of the bridge, and the chasm below, as he disposed of the corpse in his hand, this _Ranger_. As the body plummeted to the ground below, a Nevermore, a wing savagely removed, lay at the bottom, half-dissipated.

"It seems the Primordial One has seen fit to bless our mission yet," he muttered.

Without a word, he hurled himself over the side. The wind rushed against him as he embraced his freefall. He continued to drop until the last moment, as he straightened himself upright, his velocity quickly decreasing until his feet gingerly touched the ground.

He landed some distance from the fallen Grimm, and approached it slowly, not out of fear or hesitation, but respect. The Father could sense many of the Primordial One's children had been slain within the chasm, no doubt the work of the Huntresses. Yet still, the Nevermore endured, even in death, to further their holy mission.

The Father knelt down next to the Nevermore's skull plate, pressing his hand against it.

"Speak to me, noble being," he whispered. "Show me what blasphemy was wrought, so that we might serve our Lord."

A dark miasma began to emanate from the skull of the Nevermore, crawling up to the Father's hand, gathering. It clung to his hand as he raised it away, bringing it to his mask, the red eye which adorned its canvas now glowed in an eerie luminescence. It devoured the miasma, filling his mind with visions.

Visions of flight, and battle. Of Huntresses and those of the coats, the Rangers of the Scar, battling against the sacred beasts. He saw the Nevermore's moment of death, the sorrowful defeat. Within the visions, he heard one thing of interest.

"_Saber, keep the bridge!" _

Saber. A team of Rangers. One which had allied itself with the Huntresses.

This was a start.

* * *

UNITED NATIONS DEFENSE FORCE PERSONNEL DATABASE

_NAME: Dmitry Petrakov_

_SERIAL NUMBER: X77-09005_

_AGE: 20_

_DOB: February 4th [allegedly]_

_Place of Birth: [Undisclosed] _

_RANK: 2nd Lieutenant_

_UNIT: United Nations Special Operations Command, UNSAS Rangers SMU, Saber Team _

_SERVICE HISTORY: Lieutenant Petrakov applied for Ranger training at the minimum recruitment age of 16, and successfully completed the initiation after preliminary month-long survival training. Lieutenant Petrakov displayed average to above average academic performance, and exceptional combat performance, graduating 1st in his training group of 17 trainees (34 original applicants). Upon graduation from training, Lieutenant Petrakov was placed within Ranger Team Saber, after scouting and selection by Captain Tasha Korva. He has, in his few months of active duty, accumulated nearly one-hundred confirmed unassisted kills, and completed several Scar-side reconnaissance and direct-action missions._

_PROFILE: Lieutenant Petrakov's psychological profile is consistent with an unidentified post-trauma state, rendering him unwilling (or perhaps psychosomatically unable) to speak. He has suffered no physical injury which coincides with this condition, and exhibits introverted and anti-social tendencies, as well as extreme discomfort with even minute unexpected physical contact. _

_Upon registration into the records, he was unwilling to disclose his place of birth, and claimed to not know his exact birth-date (the date appearing on record is a rough estimate). A background check has revealed no birth certificate, nor any kind of government recognized identification before joining the Rangers. _

_In combat he is described as "quick, precise, and methodical." His movements suggest ingrained muscle-memory. He is tactically by-the-book, but is able to strike a balance between discretion and chance-taking, making him extremely adaptable to a variety of scenarios. _

_CURRENT STATUS: Active – Deployed_


	7. Chapter 7: Conspiracy Weary

"_Black Helicopters, Google it."_

-Matt Hullum

.

_Yvan eht nioj!_

-The Simpsons

.

**Chapter 7: Conspiracy Weary**

"I'd like to be frank, if I may, sir: are we under arrest?"

Team RWBY sat in a row, cold metal table laid out in front of them, stuck in cheap, uncomfortable chairs. The room around them was sparse, and nothing but gunmetal walls, concrete floor, and intentionally dim lights. It all felt so sterile and empty; there were no distinct smells, no colors, everything was entirely smooth and blank, and there were no windows, except for what the girls suspected was probably a two-way mirror.

Across from them sat a black-suited man, his skin almost as dark, thick rimmed glasses set upon his nose, and a pile of papers and folders laid out in neat stacks before him. He was nothing if not collected and polite, though each of them was having difficulty working out if it was genuine, or simply an act.

After their triumphant return from the wall, having successfully closed the breach and received first-aid/medical care aboard Falcon 2-5, the UADS Helena dropping in marines from orbit, and Army reinforcements arriving from the north, Major General Duff, after a curt word of thanks for their efforts, informed them that the UNDF had a number of questions for them. A man in a suit, the same one in front of them now, backed by a number of troops, instructed them to come with him.

Korva, of course, protested, but was informed she and Field Master Zhukov would be permitted to be present. At that point it was out of her hands anyway. The Miranda Rights were read off to them as they were taken into military custody, and they were transported southwest and back into the mountains, to the North-Ural Regional Command Complex. Jay and Malik were left to monitor Dmitry as he received treatment at a hospital in Kotova, thankfully now stable, while Korva and Zhukov followed RWBY shortly after in a separate transport.

It was decided the questioning could wait until the following day, and team RWBY were given fresh clothes to change into, and quarters to stay in –guarded at all times, of course. The clothes were simple military fatigues; not their usual style, but they were the only clothes the base had on hand, and their outfits were covered in dirt, sweat, and blood. The following day, later in the evening, after Korva had been given the chance to receive further follow-up medical care and submit a formal report on the previous day's events, the meeting began, with the Rangers sitting in the next room, quietly observing.

"Arrest? No, nothing like that, Miss Schnee," said the investigator, who had introduced himself as Agent Hamilton, his voice reminding them of the accent with which Vin would speak.

"You are, however, being temporarily detained in UNDF custody, until we can determine just what your role in all this was."

"Our role?" she questioned.

"Indeed. You must understand, the UNDF is immensely grateful for all that you've done. Sealing the breach was no insignificant task, and given the numerous set-backs along the way, the remarkably low casualties were astounding. Ranger team Saber in particular seems to think rather highly of you, and let me tell you, impressing Rangers is no small praise."

"However," he continued, his welcoming tone deflating. "There are a few details which leave I and my superiors…concerned. You are being accused of nothing yet, I want to make that clear, but we do require as much information as you can give us."

"Well," shrugged Ruby. "We'll help if we can. That's kind of what we do. Ask away."

Hamilton grinned back a bit, and opened one of his folders.

"Now," he began. "I'd like to start off with the elephant in the room, as it were. At least one of them, anyway. Miss Belladonna-"

"Yes, my ears are real," she sighed. She'd gotten that question a lot since waking up the previous day.

"That I don't doubt. I was just going to confirm some information first; you are a self-described…Faunus? Correct?"

She nodded. "Correct."

"Would you kindly explain what a Faunus is? Where you come from?" he asked, folding his hands over the table. "As you can probably guess, we've not exactly met anyone quite like you…well, any of you."

The four girls went silent, and began giving each other very serious looks, mostly focused on Ruby and Weiss. The two shared another look all their own.

"Should we?" asked Weiss. "It's up to you."

"I don't know if they'll believe us, but I think we should be honest."

Hamilton raised his eyebrows and leaned in on the table.

"Care to clue me in, ladies?"

Ruby was the first to turn back to him.

"Well, if you really want to know about us, we'll try to explain as best we can. Maybe you won't believe us, but it's the truth, we promise."

"It was something I discovered first," spoke Weiss. "I brought it up with the others last night, and we've been hesitant to explain it, but if anyone could help us, it would likely be the UNDF.

"I'm all ears," replied the investigator.

* * *

"_Ugh," grunted Yang as she flopped down on one of the cheap, mass-produced UNDF bunk-beds._

"_It might not be Beacon, but compared to cramped APCs and crashing airships, this is heaven," she sighed, snuggling up to a pillow._

_Weiss paced around their designated quarters, observing their living conditions. It was clean and organized at least, if nearly bare. Blank walls, no decorations, not even a potted plant. Just the beds, a pair of night-stands, and some footlockers._

"_It's rather drab," the heiress muttered._

"_It's a military base, not a hotel," commented Blake, leaping onto the top bunk above Yang._

"_Still," she replied, running her finger over the nightstand, checking for dust. "A little interior decorating wouldn't kill them."_

_Ruby hopped up onto her top bunk, bouncing up and down as much out of excitement as testing out the springs._

"_I'm with Yang," she stated after a moment. "It's not exactly homey, but at least they were nice enough to give us a room to share together. It's sort of like being back home at Beacon."_

_Blake rolled back over to face her teammates._

"_Speaking of, where do you think we are? I know I'm not the only one thinking it, but we have to be far away if no-one here has heard of auras or Semblances, or even the Faunus and Huntresses."_

"_Yeah, that IS super weird," said Yang, face still buried in her pillow._

_Weiss took a seat on her bed, uncharacteristically fidgety. She, of course, knew the reality of their situation –or at least what she could surmise from her admittedly still limited information. The mission was over and done with, and their responsibilities as Huntresses fulfilled for the moment; now was the time for rest and recuperation, and answers if the UNDF had any say in the matter, and of course, they did._

_To them, Huntresses and Faunus were unknowns, auras and Semblances tantamount to sorcery. They would want answers: who were they, where did they come from, how did they get here, why were they here? She was barely equipped to answer some of those questions, but she could at least not have to answer them alone. _

_It was time she burst her friend's bubbles about their situation, for better or worse._

"_Actually, there's something I've been meaning to discuss with you all about that," she spoke up._

* * *

As RWBY spun their tale, explaining their realization that the world they currently inhabited was not the one they knew, the two Rangers sat behind the mirrored glass, listening to every word spoken.

Or rather, they would have been, had their concentration not been interrupted by an offending beep, alerting them to an incoming call. Zhukov answered, ending the shrill disturbance of their comfortable silence.

"I apologize for interrupting," said the voice on the opposite end of the line. "Major General Duff is on the line trying to contact you. He says it is urgent."

Zhukov looked to Korav, who nodded.

"Put him through here."

They would miss some of the discussion, but it was all being recorded and digitally transcribed in real-time. Any details they missed, they could go back and read or listen to.

The line closed, and on the screen to their left, mounted on the wall, Duff appeared, still in his field HQ in Kotova. Order had been restored to the city, but the military presence remained strong, and would be for some time, until clean-up was complete, and the situation was properly documented and investigated.

"General," greet Zhukov. "Miss us already?"

"We have a problem," he said, ignoring Zhukov entirely.

"Actually, a few problems."

The Rangers shared a quick glance, then looked back at the screen.

"What's the situation?" Korva asked.

"A platoon of soldiers were deployed to secure the 020 Communications Installation not long after you departed yesterday. They were to hold it until the situation with the breach had been resolved, and a more long-term investigation could be conducted. They apparently made contact with a Ranger team, Katana, after digging in."

Katana, Ben Dumont's team, Korva noted. They were originally the team ordered to investigate 020, diverting from a training exercise a dozen klicks north. Unfortunately, they met resistance in the form of the first waves of Grimm, and so Saber was deployed instead from the south.

"Did they find something we missed?"

"No. We lost contact with all of them not long after they joined up. We'd since deployed another platoon to investigate. When they arrived, the whole force was KIA. Rangers included."

"What happened?" asked Zhukov, his normally cheerful disposition now gone.

Duff sighed. "We don't know for certain, but all available evidence simply points to the Grimm."

"You don't sound so convinced," Zhukov prodded.

"I'm not," the general confirmed. "There's no evidence that they even had the chance to fight back against whatever attacked them; no fresh shell casings or bullet pocketing, no recently exploded ordinance, and very little sign of physical struggle. What's more, their cameras –what ones we could find– were destroyed. Lab-techs say they were pulverized so badly we won't get anything out of them."

"You said what one's you could find," Korva pointed out. "There are cameras missing?"

The general nodded.

"Them, and the heads they're attached to," the man grimaced. "There's really nothing more to report yet, we're still investigating and sorting out bodies."

Zhukov quietly sighed into his hand, which he was contemplatively resting his chin on.

"Any more good news?"

"Unfortunately, but not anything I can tell you about over a line this insecure, and I'm still being briefed on it myself. All I can tell you is its…well, it's something the higher-ups don't generally want people knowing about, but from what I understand, the UNDF may be facing a security breach. The rest will have to wait. Just…"

His gaze drifted over to Korva.

"We may end up calling you. Be ready."

"I always am," she retorted.

He said nothing more, and the line closed. Zhukov sunk back into his chair after a stagnant moment, and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Remember when we all used to _like_ each other?" said the old Ranger, exasperation clear in his voice.

Korva stood up from her chair with more effort than she would've liked to admit, given her back. Her eyes focused on the girls in the next room.

"That was years ago," she said, finally. "He's the one holding the grudge, not us."

"Although I can't exactly blame him. I might do the same in his position."

"A little late to agree with him, Pyotr."

"I never said I agreed with him," the Field Master clarified. "I think we all handled the situation in equally terrible ways. Michael pushed us away, blamed us –well, blamed everyone, but us especially. I tried to accept it from him, but I think that just made him more upset. And you…"

His voice trailed off as his eyes fell on the twin pairs of angel wings adorning the backs of Korva's shoulders.

"Well," he said, turning his attention back to the questioning. "We can't change the past."

No, thought Korva as she stared into the interrogation room. As her eyes fell on the crimson Huntress in the next room, sitting closely with her sister, she felt a spike of anger. Anger born of regret.

Not at the girls, but at herself.

At what could have been.

She supposed she would never know.

* * *

"Let me get this straight then," said Hamilton, rubbing his eyes more out of exasperation at the amount of information being thrown at him, rather than outright disbelief.

"You come from a world called Remnant, a world entirely separate from ours that's inhabited by four distinct kingdoms."

They all nodded.

"Kingdoms that have stood against the Grimm for years, and you all attend an academy called Beacon within one of those kingdoms."

They all nodded again.

"The Kingdom of Vale?"

More nods.

"And you use physical projections and manifestations of your soul, auras and semblances respectively, to allow you to perform the feats you displayed during your cooperation with Saber team; super-strength, speed, durability and endurance, heightened reflexes, general disregard for the laws of physics and motion?"

"Pretty much," Yang shrugged.

The agent took a deep breath, sunk deeply into his chair, and puffed it out. A far-cry from his stiff professionalism minutes ago, before RWBY began to explain everything.

"You know, when UNDF Central Intelligence shot this assignment down the pipeline, I'm not sure what I was expecting walking into this room. But this," he sat forward, motioning toward the open pad on which he had been taking personal notes on their statements. "Was not it."

"So you don't believe us, then?" probed Ruby.

"That's just it. I don't know what to believe, to be honest with you. Everything you've just told me, by all logic, is complete nonsense. The fanciful tales of four teenage girls."

He then picked up one of the vanilla folders he'd been keeping open during their whole tale.

"But this?" he waved the papers. "This stack of papers I'm holding right now was written by one of the most respected and decorated Rangers of the last two decades. And as far as this stack of papers is concerned, at least some of what you are saying is true. Captain Korva has documented your use of aura and Semblance, which by the logic of your story would explain the staggering impossibility of some of your accomplishments, and I cannot deny that –and I mean no offence to you Miss Belladonna- there is a damn cat-girl sitting across from me. Alone, I could hypothesize maybe that was some strange, top-secret gene-splicing operation, it would make more sense than parallel universes or space-travel, but there is_ just_ enough corroboration between sources, and enough other unanswered questions, that I…can't, in good conscious, discount this explanation."

"So…you do believe us?" questioned Yang.

"No, I would be an idiot to take this completely at face value," he replied quickly. "But, I don't _not_ believe you either. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, mostly because Captain Korva has just stated she believes you, and Field Master Zhukov is inclined to trust Captain Korva, so he believes you, and _I'm_ inclined to believe that two veteran Rangers wouldn't trust this story as far as they could throw it unless they honestly did believe it. So, from here on out, I will be proceeding under the tenuous assumption that everything you've said to me is true."

"Proceeding," repeated Blake. "What more did you want to ask us?"

"Again, under the assumption that your story is true, how did you get here?"

Once again, the Huntresses exchanged looks with one another. They all looked back with the same confused expressions on their faces.

"We don't…really remember," admitted Ruby.

Hamilton's stare bore into them.

"You don't remember?"

"I mean, we sort of do," clarified Yang. "The memories are there, it's just…"

"Fuzzy," finished Blake. "Unclear, like trying to remember a dream. We remember to a degree, but after a certain point, none of us can accurately recall what we were doing before we woke up."

"Well, I may not know what to make of your situation," he replied. "But I do know one thing, and it's that teenage girls don't just fall out of the sky from parallel universes, or distant planets –or wherever your home is- for no adequately explained reason. Why don't you just tell me what you do remember leading up to your gap in memory, for the record."

"As I recall," said Weiss. "It was quite standard at first. We're well into our second year at Beacon, and that means we're deployed on the occasional mission beyond the city."

"Like the Rangers going out beyond the wall?"

She nodded. "Precisely. We're not fully realized Huntresses yet, so our missions are meant to be benign compared to top priority missions, but our team has always had a knack for ending up in trouble."

"I can tell," he chuckled. "So you were deployed on a mission. Did anything unusual happen?"

"We were sent to the frontier to the north, along the coast of Aquina Bay, which is honestly not very far beyond the walls of Vale relatively speaking, maybe a hundred miles" answered Blake. "There are only a few dozen settlements beyond the walls, none of them larger than maybe a few thousand people, and the frontier villages are even smaller. A little over two hundred people, tops."

"They were complaining about some weird people who kept stopping by their village every once in a while, sailing in from the sea," continued Yang. "I guess they'd show up, talk to a few people, then leave, except one or two of the villagers would leave with them sometimes. Some would come back, some wouldn't, but either way it riled them up."

"And these villagers suspected foul play?"

"Yeah," nodded Ruby. "I mean, on paper that's not anything overly-alarming I guess, but they seemed worried. None of the official Hunters thought it was worth the time investigating, they didn't think there was anything wrong, so it fell to us. When we got there though…"

"It just felt wrong," Weiss summarized.

"How so?" the investigator questioned.

Though their memories of the finer details of how they'd come to Earth from Remnant were lost to them, the village was still fresh in their minds. The mental image of the inhabitants brought chills down all four of their spines.

"It wasn't…," started Yang. "At first glance, everything was fine, you know? It _seemed _like a normal, peaceful village."

"I'm sensing a "but" coming."

* * *

"_Alright team," announced Ruby. "We've got 72 hours to get to the bottom of things here. Let's make it count."_

_The four girls of team RWBY had off-loaded from their Bullhead some distance up the simple dirt path from the coastal village of Insmont, on the very edge of Vale's "border". Most towns and settlements closer to the capital city were defended by high, prefabricated walls, automated defenses, and possessed at least partially cleared roads leading into the interior. Out on the fringe, however, was more rustic. _

_In place of the high-quality metallic/cement barriers, there were walls of thick logs from felled trees, and the main gate was constructed of some sort of iron, or steel. Yang bounded up to the gate, and banged on it with her folded gauntlet, emitting a vibrating clunky sound. The disturbance caught the attention of the gate-watch, who slid a small peephole open._

"_Who goes there?" the guard asked harshly._

"_Four Huntresses, piping hot," Yang winked. "We're here about your pesky visitor problem."_

_There were a few murmurs on the other side of the gate._

"_The only pesky visitors are you four. We don't have a need for Huntresses, so just go back where you came from."_

"_Excuse you?" snapped Weiss. "We come all the way out here, responding to _your_ request, and you're just turning us away?"_

"_Yes, we don't need you," the guard snapped back, before slamming the peephole shut._

"_Sooo," sighed Yang. "What now?"_

"_I suppose we could try radioing to the Bullhead. If they don't need us, they don't need us," offered Blake._

"_I just tried," said Ruby. "There's a high priority reinforcements request and they're diverting to team CFVY's location for pick-up. We won't have a ride for a while –tomorrow at least."_

_Yang grumbled and stomped back to the gate, striking it harder this time._

"_Hey, open up in there! If you don't need us, fine, but we're stuck out here! You gonna make four girls hoof it in the wilderness? Huh?"_

"_We already told you to leave!" they repeated, voices muffled from behind the gate._

_Yang struck the metal hard enough to dent the iron._

"_Listen buddy, I'm not spending all night out in a Grimm infested forest! You can let us in, or I can knock, knock, knock, until this shabby soda-can you call a gate flies off the hinges!"_

_There was more murmuring beyond the gate, noticeably more on edge and sharp than before, if that were possible. Yang was considering giving the gate a swift kick when the creak and groan of unlubricated hinges dissuaded her. The gate cracked open, just enough for them to pass through one at a time._

_There was no verbal greeting, just a hand from the other side waving them in. The girls exchanged glances and shrugged, before Yang took the lead through the opening._

_There were two middle-aged men on the other side, button-up shirts, jeans, and wide-brimmed hats clothing them, and rustic hunting-rifles in their hands. To a simple traveler they might have been intimidating, but it would take more than a few bolt-action rifles to make a Huntress flinch. They both gave the girls venomous glares as they entered the village._

"_Well, I feel right at home," Yang mumbled to her sister under her breath._

_As the gate groaned shut, and Ruby noticed the same unwelcoming stares from many of the townspeople, she began to think that maybe a night in the forest wouldn't have been so bad._

* * *

"They…weren't exactly thrilled to see us," commented Blake. "Almost like we were some sort of nuisance to the town. They insisted nothing was wrong, and that we weren't needed, so once they let us in, we asked why they hadn't rescinded their request. Apparently their communications equipment had stopped working some time ago, but they had assumed no one was coming anyway."

"So what did you do?"

"Well, we realized pretty quickly the villagers weren't going to be much help, and something was suspicious about how the town was acting" answered Weiss. "Instead, we decided to steak-out the docks; if their mystery visitors were still coming, they'd likely be doing so by sea as before. Sure enough, the night after we arrived, so did they."

"And what did these people look like?"

Almost as one their gazes fell, and soft sighs could be heard, each of them struggling to remember.

"This is where our memories start to fuzz," Blake replied.

* * *

_A waxing-crescent moon hung high in the night sky as team RWBY sat concealed under a tarp in a recently docked fishing dingy. Weiss wasn't a fan of the smell, but it was the most well-hidden spot that still offered a good view of the rest of the docks. Blake at least seemed rather content._

"_Exactly how long do we plan on sitting here like this?"_

"_As long as we need to, princess," said Yang. "No harm in making sure the village is really safe."_

_She huffed. "They don't seem keen on our assistance."_

"_We're stuck here," pointed out Blake. "We may as well use our time productively."_

_Ruby shushed them as a new vessel floated up to the port. Unlike the simple wooden rowing and sail-boats of the village, this was motorized and sounded quite speedy, and looked to be made of metal. The girls sat deathly quiet as the new arrivals stepped off their boat._

_They were hard to see in the darkness, but Ruby could make out a _ffrrra_sr_ff_AT_FFFFFFFFFF_s_**ffFAAAAAAAAAA**aa_no_ALL**LL**_**S**_**eEEE3**333E!_ and that they wore _wh_m_iiaaaaaiii_ir_IIi_C_HHHHHH**Heeeeeeeraaa**l**ll**DD_e_dd_ht_**DD**D!

"_Well, they seem like our guys," Ruby muttered. "Quick, while they're in the village we should hop on their ship, see if we can figure out who they are. Blake, you're with me; Weiss, you and Yang watch our backs, okay?"_

_The three nodded, and slipped out from beneath the tarp. The ship two docks down was indeed metallic, and larger than any of the ships the village possessed. It had a below-deck that Blake judged could easily accommodate five people, and surmised that was likely where any evidence as to their identity might reside. _

_Ruby and her chosen companion descended downward, while Weiss and Yang crouched above-deck, watching the piers for passersby, or worse, the boats owners. Below, there were a few cots, a lounge-area, and a rear-compartment clearly used for storage. They sifted through whatever they could find, but there was nothing exceptionally incriminating. Whoever those people were, they traveled sparsely._

_The pair were just setting things back where they found them, to avoid detection, when Yang and Weiss leapt down the stairs in a hurry, alarming Ruby and Blake._

"_What?" Ruby hissed._

"_Those guys are coming," Yang hissed back. "They're so freaking quiet, and…I don't know, I barely noticed them until they were almost on top of us. We need to hide."_

_Ruby was about to argue, when she heard the faint muttering of voices above. Too late to get back above._

"_The storage compartment," said Blake as she ushered her partner toward the room she and Ruby had discovered prior._

_It was dark, having no obvious light-source, and cramped. It wasn't really designed to accommodate people, but the four girls managed to find room, and sat in tense silence as footsteps creaked above them down into the lower deck._

_When the voices suddenly ceased, they feared they'd been discovered, but then the hum of the boat's engines put them at relative ease. They didn't seem to be suspicious. _

"_Alright, what now?" whispered Weiss._

_Yang balled her fists tightly_

"_I say we take them on."_

"_And risk sinking the ship? Our fighting styles are not exactly subtle, Yang. And even if we didn't, we may already be too far out to properly navigate our way back to the village. Unless of course you have a sailing license none of us know about."_

_He silence answered that question._

"_It's reasonable to assume they're returning to wherever they came from," said Blake. "We may as well let them return, and scout them out. See what exactly all this is about."_

"_We can activate the GDPs in our scrolls," said Ruby. "That way our Bullhead will know where to find us. We ride this out, scout around and gather intel, and by tomorrow we can coordinate a pick-up and figure things out from there."_

_Yang grinned and lightly nudged her sister's shoulder._

"_That's my little sis."_

"_Very well," agreed Weiss, already accessing the positioner on her scroll. _

_With a plan formulated, they each got themselves comfortable for the unknown amount of time they would be stuck aboard the mystery ship with their mystery suspects._

* * *

"As it turned out, I remember it being a rather long trip," Weiss groaned.

"You clearly reached land; I'm assuming you continued to tail these people?"

They nodded.

"From there, it only gets hazier," admitted Weiss. "We tracked them through a forest for a while, and…I vaguely remember being underground. A cave, but there was also metal, like a bunker."

"There was a fight, I know that much," Ruby contributed. "And then we got caught, I think? Captured?"

Yang shook her head. "No, I don't remember that. I remember the fight, but not…no, we got away didn't we?"

"Is it possible," interjected Hamilton. "That you were separated?"

"I…wouldn't discount the possibility, no. It would at least explain why we ended up so far away from one another," Weiss nodded. "That's about as much as we can remember."

"I know our inconsistent memory must seems suspicious," she assured him. "But you have to believe that we find it just as suspicious. Clearly something happened to us, to our memories, and it unsettles us just as much."

The suited man nodded, finishing scribbling down notes on his pad. There was an uncomfortable silence as pen struck paper, none of the Huntresses able to precisely read the agent's expressions. When he finally finished, he set his pen down neatly, and flipped his notepad closed. He checked his watch.

"Well, it's getting late. You've given me…quite a lot to consider, and I have a very strange progress report to submit. We'll meet much earlier in the afternoon tomorrow, and discuss your situation more. Hopefully after our next session, I'll have everything I need for the time-being, and you'll be free to go."

Ruby shot him a confused expression.

"Free to go where?"

"The Rangers have volunteered to provide you accommodations," he answered. "For the foreseeable future, you four are –for lack of a better term– guests of the UNDF, but this base is not a boarding house. The Rangers, on the other hand, are no strangers to housing non-military occupants, so to be perfectly honest, you'd be much more comfortable there. Field Master Zhukov is here, I'm sure he'll explain it to you in more detail."

With that, the agent stood from his chair, packing away his papers and folders into a suitcase, clicking the latches shut. He looked to them with his polite, subdued smile.

"Until tomorrow, ladies. Enjoy the rest of your night."

RWBY was allowed to file out of the holding room a few moments after the agent left them. The guards at the door held it open for them, each of the girls muttering thanks for the courtesy. The soldiers nodded back to them.

Another door opened and closed a bit further down the hall, and two familiar figures in rustic, ratty coats greeted them in their newfound temporary freedom. Korva was walking noticeably more stiffly, likely do to all the bruising on her back, and a thick bandage was secured to the side of her head. Zhukov, despite only having met the Huntresses once, and not really having shared words with them, was instantly recognizable due to the cybernetic eye and artificial grafts along his face.

At the sight of familiar and friendly faces, the team perked up.

"Captain," Ruby chirped, relieved to know there were allies close by.

"We were observing in the next room," she informed the team. "We heard everything. Quite a tale, to be sure, but I think you've all earned my trust by now."

"Korva's no fool, nor is she gullible," added Zhukov. "If she believes it, then I'll back her up."

Ruby's smile turned to the old Ranger.

"Thank you for your offer, Field Master. We appreciate it."

Zhukov returned the expression in kind, looking more like a friendly uncle, or a sly grandfather, than a battered old soldier.

"Rangers don't forget the people who help them," he reassured them. "And Korva is a friend, which makes you friends as well. We go back years and years, to a time when Captain Korva was just little Recruit Korva. I appreciate you looking after her, Miss Rose. She can be quite a handful, very stubborn."

The look on the Captain's face was one none of the girls had seen on her before, but one that Ruby and Yang recognized before the others. The look of an indignant younger sibling, resenting the petty torment of the elder. Ruby had made the same face hundreds of times, and Yang had soaked it in just as many.

Once again, they felt infinitely more comfortable interacting with the Rangers than any of the UNDF personnel.

"You can just call me Ruby, sir. Miss Rose makes me think I'm back at school."

He nodded. "Ruby, then. Now, why don't we all head to the mess hall? It's late, but one of the mess sergeants here happens to owe me a favor."

"I like the way you think," sighed Yang, her stomach grumbling. "I could use a late-night snack."

"Go on ahead," waved Korva. "I'll be along."

Zhukov laughed as he ushered the girl's along.

"Feeling the age in your bones, are you?"

"Not nearly as aged as yours, old man," she grumbled through a grin.

Ruby looked back at the Captain as she pressed a hand and leaned against the wall. In a fraction of a second so short that Zhukov hadn't even realized she'd moved until a second later, Ruby bolted back down the hall.

"I'll hang back here," she announced. "We'll catch up."

RWBY shrugged, and kept on around the corner, shepherded by the old man who began telling them the story between him and the mess sergeant. Something about a poker game and the man's lucky ladle was all Ruby could make out before they faded out of audible range.

The girl was more pre-occupied with helping the Captain along anyway. She was walking at a respectable pace, but Ruby could catch small twitches along her lips that seemed like repressed winces.

"You can lean on me, if that would help, Captain," she offered.

Korva glanced down at her, and a grin crept onto her face. The Ranger put her hand on her shoulder, which Ruby initially took as a gesture of thanks, but then she realized that Korva was actually putting a fair amount of weight onto her, and straightened her posture immediately.

"Don't tell him," the Captain grunted with a hint of laughter. "But I think I really am feeling my age all of a sudden."

"Why does he say that?" Ruby questioned. "About your age I mean. You're not old."

That caused Korva to laugh heartily, confusing Ruby further.

"That's sweet of you to say, Ruby. Really. Unfortunately, I think you may be misjudging me on that account. I trust you not to spread it around, but I'm fifty-two."

The revelation made Ruby's eyes nearly bug out, and her head whipped up to Korva's face. She scoured the woman for some detail, some indication of her age she may have missed before. Granted she had been wearing her mask for most of their time in the field, but she'd seen her face enough times to be in disbelief.

The Captain's hair was as vivid as a woman's half her age, her skin was wrinkled in some places, and her complexion suffered of course, likely from stress and years of battle, but she _looked _no older than her late thirties or early forties. By all accounts, the Captain was still a beautiful woman.

"You're older than my _dad_," was all Ruby, in her knee-jerk reaction, could think to say.

It dawned on her only a moment later that this was not the most polite thing to say.

"I-I mean, it's just surprising; you look so much younger than that, Captain," she stammered. Nice recovery, Rose.

Korva's grin didn't fade from her face as she continued to prop herself up on the girl for support. It had been years since she'd given much thought to her appearance, but every once in a while, she liked to be reminded she still "had it" as it were. It made her feel less old –like she still belonged out there, in the field.

"I guess I'm just lucky," she laughed. "And Ruby, you can call me Tasha when it's just the two of us. We _are_ friends."

"We are?"

Ruby mentally smacked herself the second the words left her lips. That just made it sound like she didn't consider them friends. Come on, Rose!

"Gah, I mean, of course we –I know tha –are you sure calling you Tasha is okay?" she eventually settled on.

"Of course. Captain is just a rank the UNDF slapped me with anyway; Rangers aren't as stuffy about these things."

Ruby huffed as she remembered Jay and Malik's explanation of the rank hierarchy, and the relationship between the UNDF and the Rangers.

"The UNDF is so overly complicated," she grumbled.

"Well, you're not wrong," Korva admitted. "But most of it is necessary. The Rangers are comparatively small; there's only a few thousand of us in the world. We can afford to be casual, to not pay heed to ranks and do things our own way. The UNDF is a global military, it's deployed and stationed on almost every continent and responsible for the protection of all mankind, from the Grimm and from itself; for something that massive to function properly, hierarchy, discipline, personal restriction and obedience are necessary."

"Mmm, I guess. Makes me glad I decided to be a Huntress instead of joining the military at least."

"I'm glad as well," said Korva as they entered the mess hall. "Else we may not have met."

The Captain pushed off her shoulder, standing totally upright again. Ruby moved to help her balance, but she held her hand up, indicating that she was fine.

She really wasn't, and honestly almost toppled over, but damn if she was going to be seen hobbling about in front of Zhukov. She'd just gotten a confidence boost, and she wasn't about to let that be ruined so quickly. Ranger training taught you how to survive in the wilderness, the best ways to kill the known breeds of Grimm, and how to operate and use just about any and every military tool, weapon, and vehicle they had time to show you, but none of it really prepared you for getting old. Zhukov loved being a Ranger, but he'd realized ten years ago he wasn't really fit for the field anymore, and became commander of Site-5, and then took up the post of Field Master five years after that.

For Korva, leaving front-line duty was not so easy. Sitting behind a desk, administrating logistics and budgets, initiating recruits and instructing trainees, coordinating mission schedules and team formations; that wasn't who she was. It was the inevitable fate of a Ranger –the ones who didn't fall in the line of duty at least– and it was a necessary and vital responsibility, but she doubted she would ever feel ready.

But pulling her legs over the bench, and bending down to take a seat, she was reminded of days twenty, or even ten years ago, when an injury like the one she had now wouldn't have phased her, and it forced her to wonder just how much longer she'd be able to keep things up. There was an office desk somewhere in Site-5 calling her name, singing the swan song of her rough-and-tumble days.

"Do you think the UNDF will be able to help us?" asked Yang, as Korva settled into her seat.

She sighed, honestly not sure of that herself.

"I suppose they might. Dimensional travel, or wormholes, or whatever brought you here is a little outside their expertise, but it stands to reason the thing that brought you here would be able to send you back. It's just a matter of determining what that something was."

"In the meantime," Zhukov cut in. "We'll do everything we can to make you feel at home."

It was reassuring to have allies so far from home, but it wasn't enough to overcome the sense of homesickness that was now consuming the four girls. The normally exuberant team had now become staggeringly quiet, and even Yang barely touched the food that she had minutes ago been looking forward too when it came.

Their dejected mood mirrored Korva's own as of late.

"Once you've finished with your meeting tomorrow, we can make a detour to Kotova and visit the rest of the team," she suggested. "Jay and Malik are keeping Dmitry company at the hospital; as far as they've told me, he's awake and stable, and should be out the door by the end of the week at the very latest."

Ruby's gaze picked up and a smile crept back onto her face.

"That's good news. Yeah, I'd like that."

Yang grinned as well at the news, cupping her face in her hands and leaning towards Weiss, who was quietly smiling to herself with her head down, staring into her tray.

"Yeah, Weiss. Isn't that _great_ news?"

"Of course it is," she replied with a brief start, shooting the girl a confused and suspicious look. Yang continued to grin.

"What?"

"You don't seem so excited about your _bestest buddy_ in the _whole world_ being okay."

"Not everyone wears their emotions on their sleeves like you, Yang," Weiss huffed. "And furthermore, Dmitry is hardly my –and I echo your extremely poor grammar for sarcastic effect only– bestest buddy."

"Leave her be, Yang," said Blake. "I think we're all relieved everything is over, and things didn't end up as bad as they could have."

Yang put her hands up in surrender. The Captain grinned at their antics; the four seemed less team and more sisters. She wondered if all Hunters were like this, or if she had simply stumbled upon something rare.

"You said you living in a place called Vale?" she asked.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Tell me about it."

Ruby glanced at her team before looking back to Korva.

"Like what?"

She took in a deep breath, considering.

"Perhaps just about your homes, what they were like. It's not every day I get to speak to people from a kingdom in another world."

"Any pets?" laughed Zhukov.

Ruby rummaged around in her pocket, and pulled out her Scroll, which was thankfully still intact after everything that had happened. Beacon sure didn't mess around with their electronics, though she supposed it made sense, it being built for Beacon students, who would inevitably be brought along on missions and Grimm hunts.

She swiped around into her photo-gallery before handing it off to Korva.

"Yang and I have a little dog named Zwei, but he's kind of become the whole team's dog."

The older woman smiled at the myriad of photos of a small gray and white dog with seemingly boundless energy.

"How did you get him?"

"Well Ruby was only eight, and I was ten," Yang explained. "It all started when our dad bought Ruby a book about puppies. Ruby's kind of always had a thing about dogs…"

* * *

The girls spent an hour and a half in the mess hall telling stories about Vale and other places in Remnant they'd seen and been to. Ruby was quite the shutterbug, and had a few pictures that she shared. They'd been of little help in the questioning –the agent had stated that they could just as likely have been an impressive Photoshop project as real pictures- though they had at least added some more credibility to their story, and Korva had enjoyed seeing them. Sharing things about their home, especially with the means to physically show them, had, for a few moments, driven back the sense of loneliness that had been blanketing them.

But returning to the sparse military quarters, and falling into their bunks, all of which was just similar enough to remind them of Beacon, but was yet so oppressively different, it all returned in earnest. Ruby laid on her back and let out a deep sigh.

"I second that," said Blake.

"Third," muttered Yang.

Ruby rolled over onto her side, facing the wall. She closed her eyes every so often and then opened them again, subconsciously hoping that when they opened, she would see one of her posters, or her blanket tent above her bed, or hear the radio alarm go off to spur them to class. One of Professor Port's inane, self-important tales would have been a dull but reassuring piece of normalcy.

Of course, she never saw or heard any of those things. Only the blank walls and low buzzing of the incandescent lights above. They weren't prisoners, but she couldn't help but feel like they were laying in a cell.

"I wish we could remember what happened to us," Weiss sighed below. "Those people from the village, the ones we can't remember; they did something to us. I know it."

"There's not much we can do about it now," muttered Blake. "Unless we can remember more, we're stuck in the dark."

Weiss sighed and rolled onto her side.

"I know."

Ruby sat up in her bed. She was team leader, morale was her responsibility as much as anything else. Her team was stressed and a little afraid, _she _was stressed and a little afraid. That couldn't stop her though, she was in charge. In situations like this, it was her job to find the silver lining.

"It could be worse," she said. "I mean, we're in a whole other world. Given everything that's happened, I think we lucked out. The people here have the Grimm handled, they're just as advanced as Remnant it looks like, they might even believe our story, and we made some friends who are giving us a place to stay."

"We _could _have ended up lost, broke, and starving, and since no one here seems to know about auras or semblances or Dust, there's no telling what kind of trouble we might have ended up in," Ruby shrugged.

Yang grinned from her lower bunk.

"Yeah, the food here might suck, but as least we _have_ food. I wasn't even thinking about how worthless lien would be here."

"I suppose that means you're as poor as the rest of us now, Weiss," smirked Blake.

The heiress rolled back over onto her stomach with a scowl.

"Keep laughing Belladonna. When we get back to Beacon, I'll be buying a whole slew of new clothes for all of us, _just _to rub it in your face."

Yang pumped her fist.

"Alright, mama's getting a new pair of boots!"

"I don't want clothes," grumbled Ruby.

Weiss huffed. "Fine, we get new clothes. Ruby gets a weapon upgrade."

"Now we're talking! Smart-drift compensator, here I come!"

Ruby bounced in her bed excitedly, dreaming of a new and much desired addition to Crescent Rose. All the more reason to get home.

A quick glance to the clock on the nightstand revealed it to be nearing eleven o'clock. They had important business to complete the next day, and it wouldn't do to be tired.

"Anyway, I think we should hit the sack," she suggested. "It's getting late."

"I agree," said Weiss, punctuating her words with a yawn. "Goodnight."

"Yeah, goodnight," echoed Yang.

Blake was already wrapped up under her covers.

"Sleep well."

Ruby secured herself underneath her blankets and laid her head down on her pillow. It had been an easier day than the last, but still exhausting. Maybe tomorrow would be better.

"Sweet dreams, guys."

* * *

True to Hamilton's words, the second session of questioning took place at noon, and consisted mostly of repeat questions to ensure their accuracy. Interspersed, there were some questions about Vale and the other kingdoms, and the hunters; how they both operated, how large the cities were, what kind of training hunters went through. None of the girls were entirely certain to what extent they were being believed, but their story seemed to be receiving due consideration.

"There was one last thing I wanted to cover with you before we ended our session," said the agent. "You mentioned a substance, something quite prevalent in your society. Dust, I believe? I gather it's a raw material used industrially, but I'd like for you to give me a quick rundown of what exactly it is."

All heads on team RWBY immediately went to Weiss, not that she needed to be given permission. She was the resident expert of the team, and as far as Earth was concerned, the leading expert period.

"Dust is a naturally occurring element and energy propellant mined from the earth in mines and quarries, much like ores or precious gems," she replied, slipping into what Ruby liked to refer to as _brochure mode_. "It is incredibly versatile, used in nearly all manner of technology. It can power cities, propel projectiles in weapons, fuel vehicles, aide in construction, and imbue special properties to many objects when properly applied."

The agent, as always, was jotting down what he felt were especially relevant details, and his thoughts on the subject.

"I see," he muttered. "This is a limited resource? You said it's mined; before the advent of the global use fusion power and hydrogen and solar cells, Earth had a long history of powering industry through naturally occurring resources found underground. It's not a large leap to make, but please, correct me if I'm wrong."

"It is limited, but very plentiful," Weiss assured him. "Even the most skeptical estimates don't foresee a shortage for centuries, although in my own opinion, that doesn't account for possible expansion, or armed conflicts. If the rate of consumption were to increase due to such an exterior cause, obviously those models would need modifying."

"You seem rather informed on the subject, Ms. Schnee," he replied, his tone betraying his surprise.

"My family operates a not inconsiderately sized Dust mining company. Dust has made my family what it is today."

"In that case, I don't suppose it's unreasonable for me to assume that Dust is incorporated into your weapons as well?"

They all nodded.

"I ask hoping that I might take a sample to pass onto our labs for analysis? There is no such substance on Earth, and my superiors requested I inquire more on the subject, for scientific purposes."

"I wouldn't be opposed, but that decision isn't mine to make," she said, looking to Ruby.

Their leader shrugged after a moment.

"Not sure what harm it could do; it's not like Dust isn't everywhere on Remnant."

"In that case," added Weiss. "I'd like to outline some handling guidelines at a later date, before handing over a sample. After our collaboration with Saber team, we are extremely low on Dust, and it can be quite volatile –explosively so– if handled improperly, especially the powdered variants we use in our weapons. For the safety of anyone handling it, I'd like to make preparations."

"The UNDF would be very grateful for that, Miss Schnee," said the agent. "I believe that's all I need, then. Unless of course there's anything you'd like to add? Anything you've remembered?"

They shook their heads.

"Sorry. It's about the same as yesterday," answered Ruby.

The agent nodded, and finished packing papers and folders into his case.

"Well, in that case, I'll be formally releasing you into the care and custody of the Rangers. Central Intelligence will review all that I've reported and go from there. If the UNDF has any further use for you, or if we have any relevant news regarding your situation, we'll contact you. For now, Captain Korva will be waiting outside the door to escort you off the premises. Thank you for all your cooperation."

* * *

Laying alone in a hospital cot almost made Dmitry wish the Widow bite had killed him.

_Almost._

There was very little to do. There was the TV of course, but he was not usually one to sit and watch television for very long. The news was what interested him most, and there were only so many times he listen to Kotova's casualty and collateral statistics, or about political tension between the UNDF and NAA, before it turned into a broken record. The screen was sitting dark and unused on the wall, allowing Dmitry to suffer in silence.

Well, not total silence, he thought almost bitterly, as the patter of water against glass reminded him. The summer storm which had marked the day of the Grimm incursion had been a bad one; the following day –which he had been heavily medicated for- was overcast but without incident, but today marked the return of the rain. Not a storm like before, it had been a very steady and consistent drizzle for hours.

At Site-5, much of the complex existed underground, including most of the Ranger barracks, so if it did rain, he couldn't see or hear it. Even then, however, he was not one to linger about without a task. For all his merits as a Ranger; his unusual skill for his age, his surprising diligence, his punctuality, Dmitry was not very good at the self-reflective aspect of Rangerhood. He would much rather be doing something physical than sitting and thinking.

Sometimes he would go to the range to practice his shooting, go to the gym for exercise, spend time in the armory giving his weapons regular maintenance (and sometimes more than just his weapons), even paperwork was more welcome. His workaholic-like behavior earned him points with his training instructors, and the Captain appreciated the professionalism from such a newly christened Ranger, but it didn't change the fact that he was lacking in a traditional aspect of his profession.

Now there was nothing to do_ but_ think. Nothing to take his mind away from the rain dripping down the window. With every little pitter of water, he could feel himself receding into his own mind. The one place he really didn't want to go.

He could feel the familiar scenes all wound up and ready to play on a fresh reel as he stared out the window into oblivion.

It was becoming hard to breathe again.

The sudden jolt back to reality as his room's door flew open, banging against the rubber wall-cushion, was briefly frightening, but so overwhelmingly welcome. Dmitry felt himself again as he saw Jay and Malik enter his recovery room, and felt in that moment as though he could kiss them. But he wouldn't. Personal space.

"Hey, he's not even high this time!" Jay exclaimed as she plopped down on one of the chairs in the corner.

"You were a little out-there last time we were here," explained Malik, approaching his bed with a black case in hand. "Pain meds mostly. Sorry for almost making your heart explode, by the way. Hopefully bringing you this will get me back in your graces."

Dmitry looked down and took the black case Malik was holding in his hand. Flipping it open, he was excited to find his phone. It had been a gift from Jay a few weeks after joining Saber, since Dmitry didn't have one of his own. Initially he'd been a little confused as to why she insisted a person who didn't speak have a phone, but then realized her intent when he realized that texting, instant messaging, and plain old text-display would make communicating with people when off the field much easier.

She still disapproved of his silence, but it was a thoughtful gift which he utilized often. It would likely have been useful during their mission, but unfortunately their quick, last-minute deployment to the mountains left him no time to grab it. The thin, black, 6x3" device was a welcome return.

He immediately set about typing. Dmitry knew it still felt strange to them, but they were more on ease communicating through devices than translating his gestures and facial expressions. It also made him feel like less of a burden.

'_Thanks. How is everyone else?' _he asked through the IM client.

"Well, we're here to keep an eye on you, Captains orders," explained Malik. "She's with the Field Master and team RWBY right now back at REGCOM; the UNDF were pretty quick on the interrogation once the breach sealed up."

He didn't have to type anything for both Rangers to notice his alarm once the word _interrogation_ had been uttered.

Jay waved at him to calm down.

"Relax, Boss is keeping us updated. They're not being charged with anything; Hell, I think they're already free to go."

Dmitry breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't say too much about Yang or Blake, he hadn't talked with them much, but Ruby and Weiss had proven to be reliable and friendly, so the whole team was worth trusting as far as he was concerned. Though the last time he'd spoken to Weiss, she'd been a bit upset with him. He hoped he'd have the chance to apologize.

"The UNDF wants to keep an eye on them, but they aren't really willing to keep them prisoner, so they're dumping them on the Rangers, Saber specifically," continued Malik. "We're going to be off the field until further notice, Field Master's orders. The UNDF has a handle on things here, and other Ranger teams will be assessing the situation outside the wall; we're pretty much babysitting for the time-being, at least until we're needed."

He nodded. In that case there was no particular rush to get out of the hospital, except to regain the freedom to move around as he wished. No deployments meant a lot of free time, so he'd have to find other ways to keep himself occupied. Then again, he considered, team RWBY were very unique people; he was sure he would have his hands full helping the rest of his team look after them.

All three of their heads shot to the door at the sound of a pair of knocks against its glossed wood. Malik and Jay both straightened their posture as Captain Korva strode into the room, the four girls of team RWBY trailing behind her. Dmity sat up a little higher as well.

"I hope I'm not intruding."

Dmitry shook his head and typed on his phone.

'_You're never intruding, Captain.'_

"Oh, good, you have your phone."

Ruby stepped closer to his bed, observing the device in his hand.

"Oh, that's clever. It makes talking to you a lot easier," she chuckled.

Dmitry nodded.

Yang approached the other side of his cot, running her hand through her hair. Blake followed awkwardly behind.

"Hey, Dmitry," said Yang. "Sorry for, you know, getting split up back at the wall. You feeling okay?"

Dmitry nodded again.

'_I'm okay. Nothing to be sorry for.'_

"He's gonna get some sick scars," commented Jay. "Starting to look like a real Ranger, D."

"The doctor's said the venom is totally out of his system," added Malik. "He'll be in some pain as the lacerations finish healing up, but that's about it. He should be released tomorrow."

"We just stopped by to see how you were doing," said Korva. "Jay, you'll be accompanying me back to Site 5 so we can get our new guests settled in. Malik, you'll be staying here until Dmitry's released tomorrow, and escort him back."

"Understood," Malik complied.

She nodded, then turned to Dmitry.

"It's good to see you doing well," she grinned. "We thought we'd lost you a few times. I'll look forward to you coming home."

'_Thank you, Captain.'_

"Well then, Jay, gather your things and head to the helipad. I need to speak with the attending physician. Girls," Korva said, turning to the four teenagers. "You're free to stay here, or grab something to eat, under Malik's supervision of course. We'll find you all when we're ready to head back out."

Jay stepped out of the room, off to gather what sparse possessions she had with her. Korva followed behind her, heading in the opposite direction to the nurse station. Malik looked to team RWBY, waiting to see who he might need to shadow.

"Well," said Yang. "I could go for a snack."

"I suppose hospital food will have to do. We didn't exactly have a chance to eat lunch," agreed Blake.

Malik stood up from his chair and ushered them towards the door.

"Cafeteria's one floor down. All aboard who's coming aboard."

"I'm in if they have soda," said Ruby, bounding up to her sister. "It was good seeing you again Dmitry. Get well soon."

He waved to her as they stood in the doorway.

"Weiss, you coming too?" she asked.

Weiss, who had remained silent thus far, shook her head.

"I'm fine, I'll catch up with you all at the helipad."

Ruby shrugged, but didn't question her decision. The three fourths of team RWBY disappeared with Malik down the hall.

Left alone, Weiss slowly took Malik's previous seat, crossing her legs and leaning back. She cleared her throat after a moment.

"You gave us quite the scare the other day," she said. "When Malik came barreling onto the Chimera with you over his shoulder, I was certain for a split-second that you were dead."

Dmitry tapped against the plastic screen of his phone, filling the silence between them with digital pips and pops from the speaker as he pressed keys.

'_I got sloppy. Sorry for worrying you all.'_

"You're alive," she sighed. "That's what matters."

Silence fell between them again, only broken by the continued taps of water against glass from the rain outside.

"It's raining again," Weiss noted.

Dmitry nodded.

His eyes drifted toward the window, and Weiss' drifted to him in turn. He looked so far off, so distant, as he stared outside. Like he was somewhere else entirely.

His stare intensified, prompting her to lean forward and touch his shoulder. She nearly fell back as Dmitry's whole body jerked in a flinch. His gaze whipped over to her in an instant, and she swore she caught hints of fear in his eyes before he settled himself.

He immediately set to typing.

'_Sorry. For that, and for making you upset before.'_

Upset? It took Weiss a moment to remember what exactly he was referring to, but it came to her: the last time they'd spoken about the rain. His insistence that he was fine, despite clearly being bothered by something, and refusal to tell her why, had annoyed her, but in truth that had dissipated. Not even his teammates knew the reason, so she had no justification in assuming he would reveal anything to her. Dmitry, she had realized, was very private; she would just have to live with that. She was, after all, the same way.

"It was short-lived frustration, nothing more," she answered. "Your thoughts are your thoughts, it wasn't my place to pry."

'_You were just trying to help.'_

"It's water under the bridge," Weiss insisted. "In any case, your near-death experience had me far more concerned."

'_You were worried?'_

"We were all worried. But yes. Is it so uncommon to fear for a friend's life? Unless I'm being too presumptuous in assuming a friendship," she said, taking on a bit of a teasing tone.

Dmitry grinned and shook his head.

'_No, that would be nice.'_

"I've tried to be a bit more open to the idea of _making friends_. It comes much more naturally to Yang and Ruby, I'm convinced they could make friends with a Grimm if they tried hard enough. It's not such a gut-reaction to me, but I suppose someone who's proven to have decent manners, is capable on the battlefield, and provides…unique conversation, would make for a satisfying friendship."

Dmitry let out what Weiss assumed was a silent chuckle as he typed.

'_This is starting to sound like a contract.'_

"Don't start giving me ideas," she grinned back.

The silence this time was comfortable. The rain's patter didn't reach Dmitry's ears.

"I suppose we'll be leaving soon," Weiss sighed again. "I look forward to seeing you on your feet tomorrow. The Captain will likely give us a tour of this Site 5, but if you're feeling up to it, perhaps we can commemorate the official founding of our friendship by showing me around in more detail. It would do me well to know as much as possible about the place I'll be calling home for the time being."

'_That sounds good. I'd like that.'_

"Very well. Then I await your release."

* * *

As the day pressed on towards the evening, Hamilton sat at his desk in his temporary office. He had submitted his report to Central Intelligence some time ago, and was now awaiting either further instructions, or a debriefing from his superiors. Like clockwork, they called at a quarter till.

Hamilton answered the audio-only call from his laptop.

"_Hamilton, we just finished reviewing your report. Excellent work."_

"Thank you, sir. I hope what I've gleaned will be useful."

"_Oh, it will. As for you, we'd like you to remain in the North Ural region until further notice. The UNDF Brass is sending a personal envoy down in the next two days to properly brief Ural REGCOM on the gravity of current affairs, but they'll only be Command's voice. You're their eyes and ears for the time being, and ours; we're counting on you to keep us all informed on the day-to-day."_

"I can certainly do that," he assured them. "Is there a verdict on the girls? I'm still at a loss as to what to believe regarding their story."

"_You let us worry about that. For right now, they're no longer your primary concern; the Ranger will keep them safe, sound, and away from anything they might complicate until we need them. You just worry about keeping an eye and ear out for anything suspicious regarding events directly or indirectly related to the breach."_

"Understood, I'll handle the usual."

"_And Hamilton," _warned the voice on the other end of the line. _"We can't tell you everything, but it's imperative you watch your back. Trust no one, and stay discreet. If events are playing out how we think they are, things may get very messy soon."_

"You can count on me, sir. As soon as any new details present themselves, you'll be the first to know."

"_Very good. Central, out."_

* * *

Quick shout-out to jennywin on Tumblr for the cool fanart of Dmitry's face. A more complete cover for the story from her is on the way, but I wanted to thank her now. Check out her blog at jennywin. tumblr .com


	8. Chapter 8: White Russian

"_What you call remembering is the last part of the pleasure,  
as the crah is the last part of a poem. When you and I met,  
the meeting was over very shortly, it was nothing. Now  
it is growing something as we remember it. But still we know  
very little about it. What it will be when I remember it as I lie down  
to die, what it makes of me in all my days till then –that is the real  
meeting[…]for the most splendid line becomes fully splendid only  
by means of all the lines after it." _

–_Hyoi, Out of the Silent Planet_

**Chapter 8: White Russian**

When team RWBY finally arrived to the much talked about Site 5, evening was beginning to set in. From their air-lift, the girls could see the myriad of twinkling lights below, and the helipads blinking, beckoning them to land. It was a large base; even through the darkness they could make out several barracks, and Jay was quick to point out different structures, such as administration buildings, shooting ranges, motor-pools and garages, hangers, and armories.

The perimeter was hexagonal in shape, and their friendly guide was quick to point out, there were several ramps that sloped down into the ground near the garages, leading to weighty blast-doors. These, she explained, were among the entrances to Site 5's underground complex, which ran many meters beneath the earth with multiple levels.

Site 5 was as much a community as it was a military base. Many base personnel and Rangers had their significant others and families, who were ordinary civilians, living on-site with them.

The surface was used for every-day operations and life; trainees would live in the barracks and train above-ground, non-Ranger personnel or Rangers no longer fit for field work would work in the buildings, and civilian occupants worked on the surface as well, running small shops or services. Rangers and other military occupants, as well as their families, would live underground, which found use as a largely residential area, containing rooms ranging from single bedrooms to apartments, as well as cafeterias, gyms, lounges, and a library.

The facility itself was not always the Ranger's. Site 5 had been initially constructed by the Russian government as a short-range missile testing facility, completed just a year prior to the Grimm incursion of 2018. In the chaos of the opening days of the war, the facility was evacuated and abandoned, and remained so until the Rangers happened upon it, still behind enemy lines at the time.

It became their first base of operations, as well as a source of vital supplies. Once the then still newly formed UNDF had pushed the Grimm into the region that would eventually be known as The Scar, they made a deal between the Rangers and the Russian government for them to keep the facility. Essentially, the property was sold to the Rangers by the Russians, who –having taken a large brunt of the Grimm and having lost access to many resource-rich areas for years– lacked the funds and manpower to operate it themselves. However, the UNDF footed most of the bill, leaving the Rangers to repay the debt over the course of years.

With the official unification of the Rangers with the UNDF two decades prior, the UN had since forgiven the remainder, –which itself was just one of many contributing factors leading to unification– which freed up the Ranger's budget to expand the infrastructure, mainly more living space.

As much as RWBY would have liked to room together in a single room, that particular accommodation was denied. The only rooms large enough to properly house all four of them at once were part of residential blocks reserved for families, and so instead they were paired off and given neighboring moderate sized one-room dorms, one block away from Saber's single-occupant rooms.

As their belongings were sparse, only consisting of weapons and some supplies, their unpacking was easy and short. The rooms were just as bare as the quarters at REGCOM, but Korva assured them that, as guests, they were free to decorate and customize their living space as they liked once they'd settled in. The team split off with their partners, claimed their beds, and followed the two elder women as they gave them a quick tour of the underground complex's layout.

When they returned, they found fresh clothes laid out at the foot of their beds. Once again, they were olive military fatigues, the only clothes the Rangers could freely give them on short notice, though they were kind enough to provide Blake a black bandana to cover her ears at her request. Jay was sure to mention that there were shops on the surface that sold more casual clothes, and that they could return to Kotova as well sometime later if nothing on-site suited them. The promise of a clean wardrobe other than unflattering uniforms put them back into a good mood.

After that, it was just a matter of dinner, and then bed. It was the following day felt much more eventful.

The Rangers, team RWBY soon found, were fond of early mornings, as their alarms blared to the pre-set time of 7AM. Yang immediately and forcefully threw her pillow at hers, but in her groggy stupor, missed, and it bounced softly against the wall. Ruby attempted something similar in her room, and as they both failed, relented, and rose from their beds.

As they all clumsily threw on some of the clothes the Rangers had given them, they heard hard knocks on their doors, and a voice on the other side.

"Rise and shine, sugar plums!" shouted Jay. "You've done enough sleeping in!"

"Sleeping in, she says," grumbled Weiss, pulling up the uncomfortably baggy pants. "We didn't even wake up this early at Beacon."

As the girls filed out of their rooms, greeted by an obviously amused Jay, none of them could quite suppress a groan of exhaustion. The last few days had been tiring and stressful; early mornings were not what the doctor ordered.

"Be thankful; I wanted to get you up two hours ago like we usually do. The Captain saved your butts and ordered me to get you at seven."

Yang half-yawned, half-whined, and set herself down on the floor on her side.

"No, more sleep," she mumbled.

"Ah, come on Goldy, don't be such-"

Her words were cut off by a loud, growling snore. Jey looked down at the teenager in disbelief, before turning to Ruby.

"Did she just…?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," she admitted. "Just pick her up, she'll come to once she smells food."

"I relate to this," she chucked as she bent over, hauling Yang up off the floor and tossing her over her shoulder.

"Alright, lucky for you munchkins, breakfast is served till 9, so we'll hit up the cafeteria."

"Do you think we could eat outside, Jay?" asked Ruby. "It's just, we've been cooped up in buildings and vehicles for the last couple days, and now we're underground on top of it. I think we could use some fresh air."

"It is kind of stuffy down here," added Blake. "No offense."

Jay shrugged casually.

"Sure, nothing wrong with a little sun. We can grab your food and find some shade."

Unfortunately, the group favorite of pancakes were not on the breakfast menu, which Ruby and Yang both considered utter blasphemy. That, however, was not to say that the selection was lacking; there was enough sausage, bacon, eggs, oatmeal, milk, juice, fruit, and bread to feed an army, which Weiss concluded was kind of the point. They each took their fair servings, and kept in single-file behind Jay she led them to an elevator, lifting them to the surface.

The sun was already over the horizon, peeking over the horizon, casting its light upon the mountains which Site 5 sat at the foot of. The group took their seat under a tree near the roadside across from one of the supply depots. On their side of the road was a large, open field of well-maintained grass, which Jay mentioned was typically used for trainees during physical-conditioning sets, or CQC training. As if to punctuate her words, a line of two dozen sweating, panting individuals came to a stop in the field some distance away. They immediately formed into tight, uniform rows and columns, as a wrinkled old instructor jogged to the front of them.

"You know the drill, people; drop down or I'll beat you down! I won't tell you twice!"

Instantly the trainees practically threw themselves at the ground, beginning a series of push-ups. The instructor walked between them all, observing their progress, and, finding a one he was dissatisfied with, proceeded to take a seat on the poor young man's back.

"Not fast enough, Shevchenko! Pick up the pace!"

"Yes, sir!" they heard him cry out.

Jay sighed as she leaned back against the tree.

"Those were the days."

"You miss that?" asked Blake.

"Ranger training's a lot like highschool; it sucks ass for four straight years right up until the day you graduate, then you get all nostalgic for it. Just wait, you guys'll start missing that prissy old school of yours once we throw your asses back across time and space and you graduate with flying colors."

Ruby shot her a confused look.

"How did you know about Beacon?"

"I may not _look_ important, Ruble, but people do tell me things. OCI cleared the Captain to send Saber some reading material after we got sacked with you four. I imagine everyone's up to speed."

"You believe us then?" asked Weiss.

"Please," Jay snorted and waved her head dismissively. "You could have told me you were anime characters come to life through the magic of friendship and I'd have fucking bought it. My suspension of disbelief went plummeting down that chasm in the mountains with that Blackbird you cut in half with that oversized scythe of yours."

"It's also a gun," Ruby reminded her.

A sly expression slid across Jay's face.

"So I guess you could say it's a..."

Yang's eye's bulged in their sockets, and looked to Jay. In that moment, their brainwaves seemed to synch up, and they both blurted out the same word.

"Scyther-rifle?" came the final word, in stereo.

"Aw yeah! Nice!" exclaimed Yang, immediately dropping her fork-full of sausage to high-five Jay, who quickly responded.

"That's my girl!" she shouted back.

Weiss buried her face in her hand, groaning.

"Wonderful, there's two of them."

"On your feet! On your feet! Pair off, combat sets! Let's go!"

More shouting drew the attention of team RWBY back to the group of trainees. They'd broken off into groups of two, and begun fighting practice matches against one another. The instructor stepped over to a group after a moment, seemingly explaining a flaw in one trainee's form. He chose to explain this flaw by exploiting it, sending the young man crashing down onto his back, and delivering two blows to the side of the face that, even from a distance, the girls could tell were not pulled in the slightest.

"They're rather rough on them," Weiss observed.

"Yeah, well, some of them survive the initiation and think the hard part's over. They beat the odds, made it back alive, they think they're hot shit. I know I did. It's the instructors' job to teach you, but they've got to humble you all over again too."

"They don't seem to have done much damage to your ego," smirked Blake.

"Ooh, kitty got claws," snarked Jay. "There's a difference between confident and cocky. I'm not invincible, and I know it."

"Of course," she continued, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder. "The only way anybody's ever gonna get me is from behind."

Ruby nodded to herself, passingly remembering the bullseye quite literally painted onto Jay's back. The humor was a little dark for her tastes, but she couldn't deny it was appropriate. She couldn't imagine many people beyond Hunters successfully taking Jay in a front-forward fight.

That being said, the bullseye wasn't her concern. No, there was something in Jay's words that resonated with her. Something she needed to know more about.

"Jay, you said they _survived_ their initiation. Do people die?"

"You could say it's pretty common," she shrugged. "Initiation takes place beyond the wall, and you're alone and mostly unarmed; the whole point is that failing is fatal. You either survive and win, or lose and die. Its worst during winter in these parts, but the Grimm will kill you year-round."

"Rei said pretty much the same thing," said Yang. "Kind of amazing you guys still get new recruits."

"Rangers tend to attract a special kind of crazy, or a special kind of desperate," Jay said with a chuckle. "Ideally, you're a little of both, but the UNDF helps. They tend to throw fresh meat our way."

Jay and the others continued to converse, but Ruby drifted out of the conversation. Something Tasha had said to her during their mission to the wall, about her daughters. She hadn't thought about it much at all given everything that had been happening, but talk of the Ranger initiation had dredged the memory back to the surface.

Ruby suddenly found herself in possession of very personal information, and uncertainty overwhelmed her as she thought of what to do. Was there anything to do? Should she even do anything at all? Tasha _had _told her, but she'd also intentionally left out the details Ruby had just learned.

If she was to bring it up, it would obviously have to be in private. She wouldn't dare enter into such a conversation unless there was no one to overhear. She continued to deliberate internally until she realized she was the only one not done with her food. Ruby shoveled down the rest of her oatmeal, and quickly followed as they returned to the underground complex.

* * *

"So if you ever want to get here from your rooms, just follow that yellow line there left out your doors. It technically leads to one of the security rooms, but this place is along the path," explained Jay, as she went on about the lounge near their quarters that she'd led them on a detour to.

"It's, ya know, got couches, magazines, a couple books, vending machines, TV, this one's got a pool table. Just in case you guys don't want to stay stuffed up in your rooms. Down here in the below-levels, you can kind of wander around where you want, so no need to come a-knocking. Unless you _want_ to hang out."

"I mean, I wouldn't blame you," she finished, giving a teasing flex and grin.

The display amused Ruby at least, though Weiss rolled her eyes. Jay was like some unholy mixture of Yang and Jaune poured into a giant, muscular body, and the regret immediately set in, as the mental image of the two of them coming together to form anything was one that would haunt the recesses of her mind in the cold, dark hours of the howling night for years to come.

"It's a little less impressive when we can't see your arms, Jay," came the thickly accented voice of Captain Korva, from directly behind her subordinate Ranger.

Jay scrambled around, lowing her arms, expression equal parts embarrassment and surprise. Now _that_, Weiss thought, _that_ was amusing.

"Oh, hey Boss, what, uh, what brings you round these parts?"

Korva smirked good naturedly at her as she passed her by.

"Looking for you all, actually," she answered. "Malik and Dmitry should be here by this evening, they'll have to drive back. Now that things have quieted down, they'd prefer to cut down on air-traffic in the city-limits. I'm also going to be leaving to Kotova at about ten."

"More business?" Jay questioned.

"Memorial service at noon. I don't know how long I'll be, so I trust you and Ruby can hold the fort until either I or Malik returns?"

Ruby nodded.

"Don't worry about a thing, we were just getting a little more familiarized with the base."

"A smart idea. Well, that was all I needed; I need to take care of a few more things before I go, so I'll leave you to your own. As you were, ladies."

Ruby watched as Korva walked out of the room. She supposed, even if she were to dig deeper with what she believed she'd learned –and she hadn't committed to that idea- she wouldn't get the chance. At least not for the day.

Jay ushered them onward, back to their rooms. She herself had some business to attend to as well, and reminded them that they were free to move about through most of the underground complex, so if they wanted to explore on their own time, they could. Ruby decided she would do just that, though she had an idea already of where she would be going.

As soon as they returned to their quarters, Yang and Blake decided to begin a project to re-arrange their room and try to Jerry-rig their beds into a similar arrangement as their dorm room at Beacon. Ruby filed the idea away for later, she and Weiss would have to give their own DIY operation a go some time. At the moment, though, she was pre-occupied.

Weiss gave her a suspicious glance as she sat on her bed, watching Ruby smoothing out her shirt and hair.

"Going somewhere?"

Ruby half-turned around to meet Weiss' gaze.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, just gonna, ya know, look around some more."

"Are you sure you should be going alone? We don't know this place very well yet, you'll get lost."

She shook her head, finishing her minor preparations.

"I'll be fine. If I get turned around I'll just ask for directions."

Weiss didn't look entirely convinced.

"I'll be fine; I'll stay out of trouble," she assured her.

Her partner sighed, and shrugged in defeat.

"Fine, but if you do get in trouble, I was asleep and knew nothing."

"Fair enough," Ruby agreed as she pulled the door open and stepped out.

The first thing she would need to do is ask for directions. Jay was off to parts unknown, and Ruby didn't want to just grab the first person she saw and ask until she found someone who knew what she needed. Luckily, Jay had mentioned earlier that leaving left out her room, if she followed the yellow line, sandwiched between a green, blue, and red line, she would find herself at a security station. They would more than likely know what she needed to know, and it seemed to her that it would be part of their job to direct people who'd gotten lost or turned around, so she doubted she'd be bothering them.

Ruby followed the yellow line closely, going so far as to keep her feet along its direct path, only moving if she encountered people. After passing through the lounge, which was quiet and sparsely populated by a single napping Ranger –not Jay, she looked– and a pair of chatting women, Ruby wandered around several corners before finding a fork in the hallways where the line ended. Directly across from her at the fork, was a rectangular room, transparent with safety-glass windows. A man sitting at a desk, wearing a brown cap on his head, shuffled paper around next to a computer.

Ruby approached, confident this was her destination, but not wanting to intrude on a task in-progress. She stood patiently in front of the glass, as the man sat fiddling with the paper for almost a minute before finally looking up, seeming surprised someone had stopped at his desk.

He leaned forward and spoke into a nearby microphone, and his voice crackled out of a pair of external speakers.

"Can I help you, miss?"

"Oh, yeah, um, I was just wondering if you could tell me where Field Master Zhukov's office is?"

The officer's gaze narrowed.

"What would a…wait, are you a trainee? I hope you got clearance to come down here, because wandering off from training without expressed permission is a great way to get your class landed with a Birthday Hike."

"No!" she exclaimed, a little more forcefully than she meant to. "I mean, no, I'm not a trainee, this were just clothes I'm borrowing. My name's Ruby Rose, and I–"

"Wait, did you say Ruby Rose?"

"Um…yes?"

The guard rolled his chair closer to his computer and began clicking his mouse very quickly before glancing between his screen and Ruby. After a moment, he seemed satisfied, and turned back to her.

"Yeah, I guess you are. The security staff got a memo last night about you and your…uh, team. I'll remind you, to be safe, that you're free to move about down here, barring a few restricted areas, but until further notice, you're required to have an escort to go above-ground. It's for your safety and all that; there's not too much trouble you can get into down here, even if you do end up somewhere you're not supposed to."

"Okay?" Ruby replied, unsure of what that had to do with her question.

"My point being, the Field Master's office is in the Administration Building, which is on the surface. I don't see an authorized escort with you, so I'll save you the trouble and tell you they won't let you pass. If you want to try again later accompanied by a member of team Saber, or another Ranger, then fine, though I can't guarantee you'll see him. The Field Master's a busy man."

Ah. An escort, she should have guessed. She doubted there was anyone willing to help her on that front. This called for some intense tactics.

Ruby looked down to her feet, took a breath, then slowly raised her head back up, bulging her eyes out as widely as they could, avoiding blinking to dry them out just-so, producing some artificial teary-ness. The effect was instantaneous; the guard almost recoiled, a creeping expression of guilt slowly overtaking him. She had him.

Quiver the lip, Rose. Just a tad, don't over-do it, you're not trying to win an Oswald. Just trying to shatter this innocent man's soul enough to pity you and help you out.

The guard seemed to be clenching his teeth behind his lips.

His will was crumbling beneath the weight of her stare like so many poorly baked cookies.

"Alright, fine!" he shouted. "God, and I thought my daughter was good."

He leaned back over to the microphone, flipped a switch, and pressed in the button which broadcasted his voice. This time, his voice carried over a much louder, much more extensive PA system.

"Attention: will Keith Law report to security post D-6. Keith Law to post D-6."

Sitting back, he scratched the back of his head in resignation.

"I just called a buddy of mine. He's a Ranger, and he owes me a favor…well, more like he owes me money, but if it'll get you out of here so I can go back to work, I'll call it even. There's a bench around the corner, take a seat and I'll point him your way."

Ruby smiled sweetly and nodded.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't think that'll work twice," he grumbled as she strode around the corner.

She plopped down, feeling rather proud of herself for a well-executed maneuver. Maybe she should have been a spy instead.

Minutes passed, leaving Ruby wishing she'd brought something to do, maybe grabbed one of the magazines as she passed through the lounge. Instead, she took to idly kicking her feet, lazily letting her eyes drift shut as the tiredness from earlier in the morning took hold of her.

She knew she should be thinking of what to actually say to Zhukov when –if she was able to meet with him. After all, how does one really start off that conversation; 'excuse me, Field Master, but you wouldn't happen to know if Captain Korva has any dead children, would you?' Probably not the best lead-off.

As it was, Ruby couldn't summon the energy to give it thought.

She did, however, have the energy to nearly fall out of her seat when a boot lightly nudged her ankle. Her spaz attack caused her to bonk her head against the wall behind her, causing the interloper to laugh heartily.

Rubbing the back of her head, she looked up to see who had interrupted her. He was tall, easily rivaling Jay's height. At first, he seemed older than he probably was, due to the scratchy brown facial hair running along his jawline and around his mouth. Ruby assumed the hair on his head was a similar shade, but she couldn't see much of it under the wide-brimmed cowboy hat he had shadowing his face.

He offered her his hand as she leaned forward to get up, which she ignored with a pout.

"Alright, alright, fair is fair, I done deserve that. I apologize, darlin'," he said with a noticeable drawl. "Didn't think you'd go an hop all like a scared rabbit, though."

Ruby noticed he wore the signature brown coat of the Rangers, and surmised this was the person the guard in the post had called.

"Name's Keith Law," he said, with a tip of his hat. "An if I ain't mistaken, you're Ruby Rose. I went and heard down the grape-vine that you an your team did some dang good work with Saber team a few days back, durin' that there Grimm debacle. Sure wish I coulda seen y'all in action, but my team got stuck on defensive deployment. Not the most glamorous job, I guess, but 'least we kept the casualty figures a little bit lower."

"Oh, yeah," she replied awkwardly, still not used to how much praise people seemed to be throwing their way. They hadn't even gotten this much thanks for dealing with Vale's breach.

"Welp, my buddy tells me you need yourself a chaperon up to the Admin Building. I'd be happy to oblige; I just done transferred here a couple months back m'self, so seein' as how we're both new to these parts, we should stick together. That is, if'n ya don't mind making some conversation along the way."

"About what?" she asked, as they began to walk down the nearest hallway.

"Well…how about what kinda weapon yer usin'?"

The prospect of talking about Crescent Rose completely demolished any sort of conversational filter she might have had.

"It's a retractable scythe with a multi-joint titanium-alloy blade, mounted on a high-impact anti-material sniper-rifle."

She cringed the second the words left her mouth. Most people weren't very interested in weapons construction beyond their own weapon. She should have just said Scyther-rifle and been done with it.

Keith gave and impressed whistle.

"What's the rounds per minute on that bad boy? Hell, what caliber we talking?"

Ruby perked back up at the seemingly nonplussed interested.

"Uh…well, I mean it's bolt-action, so it depends on how fast I pull back the slide. Ideally? About twenty-five, and I'm not sure you'd know the kind of rounds I use. They're…well, they're special."

He nodded, like he understood.

"I see, custom then. Gotta say, even from a Ranger's perspective, yer one strange kid. Luckily, it's the kinda strange I can get behind. Good to know a little darlin' like you knows the value of heavy, unrelenting firepower."

"You like weapons then?"

He gave another laugh.

"Well I oughta! I'm a Ranger first a'course, but in my spare time I dibble-dabble as a gunsmith top-side. I do custom orders; maybe bring that fancy rifle around sometime, an I'll see what I can do about crankin' out some ammo for ya. I'll even give ya a discount, since you'd be bringin' me somethin' spiffy to tinker with."

"That would be great, actually," she chirped. "I was wondering what to do about ammo. I'm just about dry."

The pair approached an elevator, staffed by a pair of security staff who eyed them as they approached, but made no move to stop them.

"Well, ask around when ya got the time. I ain't been here long, but I do good work if I say so m'self, so most folks 'round here know my place," Keith said as he keyed in the proper floor, and they began to rise above the ground.

The ride wasn't as long as she'd expected it to be, but then again, the elevator felt quite fast, and a ding sounded as the door slid open. The room on the other side was the same gray concrete that most of the military buildings seemed to be made of, tied together with a carpeted floor. It wasn't particularly large, and only had a few chairs along the walls, and a single desk at the opposite end from the elevator.

Keith nudged her forward. He took a seat as she approached the desk, staffed by a woman typing away at a computer, a headset with a mounted microphone on her head.

"Excuse me," Ruby greeted.

The woman glanced away from her work to acknowledge her words.

"Can I help you?"

"Would I be able to talk to Field Master Zhukov, please?"

Ruby swore she caught the hint of a sigh leave the woman's lips.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Um, no."

"Were you ordered to report here?"

"No."

"Then no, the Field Master has a lot of work to do. He can't be bothered by walk-in visitors."

"He knows me, can you tell him Ruby Rose is asking?"

The woman responded with a flat stare.

"Pleeeease?"

"Fine."

She pulled the microphone on her headset closer.

"Sir…yes, there's a Ruby Rose here to see you. I told her…I see, but…alright." She said, punctuating with a sigh as she closed the line.

"You're free to go inside."

Satisfied with her ability to successfully jump through the bureaucratic hoops presented to her with nothing but a cute face, she walk around the desk to the door off to the right. The next room was of about equal size, but more fully decorated. There were bookshelves, racks for paperwork, a few cushioned chairs with a coffee table, and a spacious desk which Zhukov sat at, set in front of a pair of wide windows.

Between the windows hung the symbol of their organization: a profile shot of a wolf's head, its single visible eye replaced by the image of a globe of Earth. Around it was their maxim, written in English, Russian, and a third language Ruby was unfamiliar with. She couldn't make heads or tails of Russian characters, though the unknown language at least used the same letters as English.

It said: '_Custodiant Incedendo_.'

'_Keep Moving Forward.' _

The old Ranger stood up to greet her as she stepped into his office.

"Miss Ro– my mistake, Ruby. It's a surprise to see you, though I'm thankful for a distraction. I'm an irresponsible old man who hates his paperwork," he laughed.

"It's good to see you too, sir," she replied. "I just had something I was hoping you could help me with."

"Has your team encountered a problem here?"

She shook her head quickly.

"No, no! Nothing like that, everyone here's been really nice. It was just…I'm not really sure how to ask, to be honest."

"I realize you haven't been here long, but you can come to me with anything you might need," Zhukov said, smiling kindly at her. "I don't know for how long, but for the moment, this place is your home, and I would like for you and your team to feel included in this little family of ours."

Ruby nodded.

"I appreciate that, sir. I guess…you said you've known Captain Korva a long time, right?"

Zhokov sat back in his chair, giving her a warily confused expression.

"I have. Why?"

Ruby paced a bit, digging the soles of her boots into the carpet.

"It's just, Jay was talking to us about Ranger training and stuff. She told me a little about initiation and how some people die."

"That is true. Does that bother you?"

"A little," Ruby shrugged. "But Beacon wasn't much different I suppose. That's not what I wanted to talk about though. It was something the Captain said to me the first day we met."

"What did she say?"

"We were talking, and something I said reminded her of one of her daughters. Vera, I think is what she said her name was."

Zhukov closed his eyes a bit longer than a standard blink, but didn't raise his voice to stop her.

"I asked her if they were Rangers too," she continued. "And she just said they didn't qualify for training. I didn't think much of that until this morning, and now I'm thinking…I don't know if it's my place to know, but she seemed upset after talking about them, so I wanted to ask…"

"You wanted to ask if they attempted to become Rangers, only to perish in their initiation," Zhukov finished for her.

Ruby swallowed hard, not bringing her eyes up to meet the Field Master. She nodded in response. Zhukov stood back up from his chair, walking around his desk to Ruby. He placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up.

"I don't blame you for your curiosity, but…I think you've managed to infer enough on your own already."

"Does that mean–"

"This is something only Tasha should tell you about," he interjected. "It's a very private subject. Time heals all wounds, but…only if you allow them to be healed."

Ruby stared forward and nodded. She'd confirmed her theory, for all the good that served. All of a sudden she was wishing she hadn't been so curious, or at least that she'd been wrong. Unfortunately, this time, she'd been right on the money.

"Come," said Zhukov. "I'll escort you back down to the lower complex."

* * *

Ben Dumont's casket was closed, a French flag draped over the wood. As far as Korva had been told, his skull have been caved in, and most of his bones broken. They'd found him at the bottom of the chasm under the bridge.

His wife's casket lay next to him, closed also. The banner of the Russian Federation fluttered gently in the wind.

Their son had just begun his Ranger training, having passed his initiation. He hadn't been informed yet. Korva resolved to take that responsibility upon herself.

She looked up from the casket containing her friend and former teammate, and glanced around, feeling a terrible weight on her chest. The very early afternoon sun shone down upon the rows upon rows upon rows of caskets dotted the main street of Kotova in front of city hall, stretching all the way to the end of the street, and continuing on the other main roads.

"We've sent the coats back to Site 5 already," said a familiar voice, causing Korva to turn around.

The blazing red of Major General Duff's face greeted her with his usual grim seriousness. She turned back to the casket upon seeing him. He stepped forward, stopping next to her.

"Thank you," she muttered.

"I didn't come to see you for idle talk," he said sternly.

"I didn't think so."

He looked over to her.

"This all smells wrong. Everything," he grimaced. "The explosion at the wall, the 020 installation, the garrison being wiped out, your Huntresses, Command being disquietingly hush about recent events, even the staggeringly large amount of Grimm to make their way through the breach. Everything about the last few days tells me something is going on, and I think UNDCOM has a better idea of what's happening than they're letting on."

"Why tell me this?" Korva asked.

"Command is sending a detachment of personnel and an envoy, they'll be here by tomorrow. Some Colonel from some branch of some R&amp;D department I've never heard of. Whatever's going on, they want to brief me in person with specialists on standby. I've been keeping in touch with Zhukov, but I don't trust these…people to not monitor data and comms traffic, so I'm passing things along the old fashioned way."

He produced a paper envelope, which he passed to her. Korva glanced from him to the paper, before reaching out and sliding it into her coat pocket.

"What's on it?"

"A rundown for Zhukov of the relevant information on recent developments, and everything my investigation into the breach has turned up so far, which admittedly is not much. All we've really been able to do is narrow the list of hypothesis', which hasn't done much to quiet my paranoia."

"So I'm your middleman, then?"

"In a manner of speaking. Hopefully I really am just being paranoid, but in case I'm not, I need Zhukov to be up to speed, and the Rangers ready to move."

With that, Duff straightened his hat, and began to walk away up the street.

"I have a speech to give in a few minutes."

"Do you believe the girls in any danger?" she asked suddenly.

Duff stopped but didn't turn around.

"I doubt it. If Command thought they were a legitimate security risk, they would have thrown a fit when I handed them back over to you. They're fine where they are. Satisfied?"

The mutual silence that followed gave all the answers that were required. Duff continued down the street, until he was lost amongst the crowds of mourners.

Korva sighed, took one last look at the coffin, and then left in the opposite direction. She wasn't usually one to drink, but right then, she seriously needed one. Her search took her to one of the side-streets still open despite the memorial service.

She slid into the dive, a musty place with smashed front windows, but still functioning electricity and an untouched stock, which was more than could be said for most of the street. Bullet pocketing, scorching, cracked cement, and some yet-to-be-cleaned blood stains told the tale of a battle fought just outside the bar only a few days ago. Repair crews worked outside, already attempting to salvage the roads and side-walks, and clear wayward power-lines.

Her boots creaked against old wood floors as she approached a stool, but was stopped as a voice called out to her from across the establishment.

"Captain! What are the odds! Over here!"

Korva zeroed in on the source; a corner table on the far end past the front-bar. Three men sat, beers in hand, and one stood waving her over. Upon closing the distance, she recognized them as the members of X-Ray 3, Vin being the one waving he rover, and their faithful pilot, Viper. At least she deduced it was Viper; he was the only one of the group she did not immediately recognize, as he'd been thoroughly helmeted during their mission. He was rather gingerly, with orangish hair and plentiful freckles dotting otherwise pale skin.

Friendly, familiar faces put her at ease.

"Specialists, Viper, it's good to see you well. Most of you, at least," she mused, glancing down at Young's casted arm. The rest were merely bandaged for what seemed to be minor lacerations and bruising.

"Take a seat, Cap," invited Viper. "Not like we don't have the room."

"I wouldn't want to interrupt you."

"Not like we scheduled this or anything," insisted Vin. "We three just bumped into Viper here and decided to grab some drinks to celebrate us actually living through that mess, and to toast the few of us who didn't make it back. We'd be happy to buy you a round or two, Captain."

She sighed in resignation, but couldn't deny that some company beat the hell out of drinking her bad mood away alone. She motioned for the boys to scoot over, and took a sat at the edge of the booth.

"Alright, pick your piss ma'am," chuckled Young, sliding out as the group moved, wallet in his usable hand.

"It's been a while since I've drank," she admitted. "I suppose whatever you're all having is fine."

He nodded, and left for the bar.

"I don't suppose you ran into Sergeant Keller as well?" Korva asked.

"Actually, yeah," said Viper. "Wasn't exactly in the mood though. Not sure where he went."

She nodded in understanding.

"He lost two of his people; for him, the mission would hardly seem like a win."

"Yeah," agreed Vin. "We stopped by their caskets earlier. Bloody shame, those two."

"York and DeMarco?" asked Young, back with two new bottles.

The rest of the table nodded. One of the bottles slid across the table into Korva's hand, already opened.

"Well, shit," spoke up Rei. "Here's to those poor bastards again, then. Hopefully dragging a whole goddamn horde of Grimm to hell made em proud."

"I'll drink to that," said Viper.

They each raised their bottles, clinking them together, and tossing back a swig in unison. Glass thunking against finished wood resounded as the bases of the bottles set down on the table.

"By the way, Captain," said Vin. "Do you know if Yang and Blake and their team are alright? We didn't really hear anything after they got yanked away by that suit."

"They're fine. They're staying with the Rangers at Site 5 actually."

Young chuckled. "Well that's a load off our minds; we were afraid they'd disappeared forever. Maybe we'll see them soon then."

"Why is that?"

The members of X-ray 3 exchanged looks, before all looking to the Captain.

"We've all decided to apply for Ranger training," Young announced.

"Really? That's…well, surprising, honestly. I'd have thought the wall would have scared you off for good. If you're serious though, then I'll be sure to put a good word in when you pass your initiation. The three of you have potential."

"You'll be seeing more of me, too," added Viper. "I requested for transfer to Site 5."

Rei began jabbing the pilot in the side with his elbow.

"Yeah, you should have heard this guy earlier. Wouldn't shut up about Lieutenant Jackson; I think she might've hypnotized this poor idiot or something."

"Fuck off."

Korva laughed, and looked to Viper with a mixture of encouragement and pity.

"You're welcome to try, but I've yet to see anyone tie Jay down. She's…hard to please."

"Yeah, I'll bet she is," Rei snickered into his drink, earning and jab from Viper.

"In any case," continued Korva. "I believe we should have another toast. To the reunion of friends, new opportunities, and even romance blooming on the battlefield."

Viper groaned, but raised his bottle with the others. Once again, glass clinked together in unison, and the five of them drank deep. Moments like these, Korva thought, were what kept her going.

* * *

The day dragged onward into early evening. Korva returned in the afternoon, and subsequently disappeared once again. After Ruby returned from Zhukov's office, she'd decided to catch up on some sleep, and took a nap. Yang and Blake, meanwhile, had made progress in their construction efforts, but called it a day after trying, and failing, multiple times, to repeat the feat at Beacon and create a bunk bed. Weiss had occupied most of her time with developing proper safety guidelines for the transportation and handling of the Dust samples that the UNDF had requested. Once again, they were lucky that Earth seemed to share a similar level of technology to Remnant, otherwise proper handling would have been difficult.

Now, however, she was reminded that Dmitry would be returning likely very soon, and that they had agreed upon plans once he returned. Considering it was something of a welcome-home greeting, she decided to look nice for the occasion, and shed the drab fatigues they had been given, and instead donned her newly cleaned dress, jacket and boots.

It felt good to wear her old clothes again. A little taste of home that she'd been surprised to have missed so much.

As she finished pulling her boots on, there was a trio of knocks on their door, to which she replied that it was unlocked. Jay's head poked in through the gap.

"Hey-hey, we just got word that D's a few minutes out," she said, before catching a glimpse of Weiss, and growing a sly expression on her face.

"Weeell, someone decided to look all fancy."

Weiss folded her arms and rolled her eyes.

"I had no idea attempting to look civilized to celebrate a friend's recovery was so frowned upon on this world," she replied.

"Whatever, princess," Jay snickered. "Just wake Rubles up while I grab Yang and Blake, and we can get a move on."

Weiss scowled at her as she vanished beyond the door, but did as suggested and roused Ruby from her slumber. The girls readied themselves, and followed their escort in good spirits, glad that the last of their comrades would finally be coming home.

Jay guided them through the winding hallway, Weiss taking note that they were closely following the green line along the floor, for future navigational reference. Her assumption that it led to the underground garages was proven correct as they passed through an intersection, and a color-coded sign hung from the ceiling. Yellow was security stations, green was the garages, blue was medical, and red pointed towards the armories.

Pushing open a thicker than average metal door, the air was suddenly cluttered with roaring engines and metallic clanging and clatter. On the opposite end of the garage was a ramp which led up to the blast-doors separating the underground complex from the surface; on one side was a parking area, spaces outlined with bright yellow paint and small reflective plates, and on the other side was a maintenance area, where mechanics performed repairs, overhauls, customizations and retro-fits on several vehicles. The heaviest of them were transport trucks; the combat vehicles like APCs and Tanks were serviced on the surface.

"Should be here any minute now," Jay reassured them.

The door swung open again behind them. They each turned to observe the new arrival, finding a familiar blaze of red hair joining them once more.

"Hey boss, was beginning to think you got lost."

"I've not gotten _that_ old yet, Jay."

She chuckled hesitantly, then cleared her throat.

"Right, well like I was saying, Dmitry should be back here any second."

A harsh series of alarm klaxons proved her correct as the foot-thick doors groaned open across the garage. Its sluggish pace eventually revealed a pair of headlights belonging to a Humvee, though the growl of its engine was lost amidst several of its brothers much nearer.

At a respectable speed, it rolled up to the elevated platform that the group stood upon, and ground to a halt. A second later, the passenger side door popped open, and a remarkably healthy looking Dmitry stepped out, wearing a set of clothes identical to what team RWBY had been given, with of course the addition of his coat, now proudly displaying several new blemishes, his trophies of battle. He eyed the greeting party, and gave a pleasant wave.

After a brief assurance from one of the mechanics that Malik could leave the vehicle there, and that one of them would take care of it, he and the newly healed Dmitry ascended the steps up to the platform. There was a clutter of "welcome backs" and "you look good" and other formalities that Dmitry smiled through.

He noticed fairly quickly that Weiss was wearing her dress rather than the provided clothes she had been wearing the last time they'd seen each other. It was hard to miss, really; everyone else around her was brown and olive, and there she was, white and snowy as the first time they'd met. It made him think of the small tour he'd promised to take her on. Not that he'd forgotten, far from it, but it now returned to the fore-front of his mind, and he was suddenly overcome with the urge to begin right that moment. Something about seeing her made him realize how much he'd been looking forward to it.

As his comrades became absorbed in a conversation with Malik, he found his chance to mill his way out from the center of the crowd, and take up a place next to his elaborately dressed friend.

"You really do look much better," she said as he freed himself. "I'm glad."

He smiled back and gave her a thumbs up.

"I suppose you'd probably like to get changed into something more comfortable before we begin out plans."

Changed? A shower, perhaps, but his fatigues were plenty comfortable. He supposed to someone not used to them they might seem constricting. Still, he saw no need to change. He would have much rather just get right to what they'd planned.

His confusion at her suggestion showed on his face, and he was about to shake his head no, when a hand grabbed his upper arm. He looked up to see Jay.

"Just a sec, I need to borrow this."

Without a word, her enormous strength yanked him away from Weiss and across the platform. She threw her arm over his shoulders and pulled him in close to her.

"Were you seriously just going to refuse to change your clothes? To WEISS?"

His face scrunched up in confusion again, causing Jay to sigh.

"Look, D; a girl like Weiss…well, scratch that, any girl, but especially a girl like Weiss values a certain…level of presentation. Formality. You get me?"

He shook his head.

"Alright, I'll just lay it out for you. Go change your clothes. Go shower, go change into the best clothes you have, and for Christ's sake do something with your hair. Also, no coat. I know we're Rangers, but this is a question of fashion, and sweaty, ripped up coats don't really match with a lot of stuff, so ditch the coat. You got all that?"

He nodded. He wasn't sure why Jay was so insistent, but he trusted her judgment. She was a far more social person than he could ever be, so if she said this would make the night go better, then he'd follow her instructions to the letter.

"Good. Now go get her, hot-stuff."

She gave him a confident pat on the back as he walked back to Weiss, who seemed equally puzzled about what had just occurred.

"What was that about?"

Dmitry pulled out his phone, and tapped away at the keyboard.

'_I'm going to get ready. I'll meet you at your quarters.'_

"Ah, well in that case, I'll be waiting."

* * *

While Dmitry had no doubt that Jay's guidance was fundamentally sound, it didn't foresee one detail. The fatigues that, in this case, were unacceptable attire, were the best clothes he owned.

That wasn't to say Dmitry didn't own other clothes, it was just that of all the clothes he owned, the fatigues he'd received from the Rangers were the only new clothes he'd ever had. The rest of his wardrobe was handed down, and therefore very old, and many of them with permanent stains. He rarely wore them for that exact reason.

He was perfectly fine wearing his fatigues all the time; he had multiple sets, and they were free. Why spend money on new clothes when he was handed them?

Unfortunately, he hadn't foreseen an occasion such as the one he now faced, where his normal clothes were inappropriate.

He had worked it out in his head on the way back to his quarters, and he suspected he had pieced the intricate social structure of the night together. Jay had known off the top of her head, and acted upon, what Dmitry had struggled to conclude: Weiss was an affluent, sophisticated girl who valued manners and presentation. His fatigues were not formal enough, and to take no pains in his dress would be, especially to such a well-to-do person as Weiss, insulting.

Dmitry resolved to thank Jay later, he had almost made a terrible and embarrassing mistake.

He knew now that he could not approach the evening's events like he would were he with his teammates. Weiss was a wonderfully powerful and graceful warrior, and Dmitry admired her fluid precision and speed, and the mastery with which she wielded a blade, but she was not, in fact, a Ranger. This was a fact he had nearly forgotten.

She did not attend a training camp, but an academy. She did not (normally) live in a barrack, but a dorm. A Huntress was not a rank or a military designation, but a job. A career. A dangerous one, to be sure, and one that Dmitry was certain was worthy of respect, but still, it did not change the fact that Hunters were more civilian than soldier.

Of course, he admitted to himself that he was basing this purely on limited observation of four people, but it was all he had.

The point was, Jay or Malik or the Captain would not have cared if he were in his fatigues, or if he were sweaty, or his hair a bit unkempt on a night out. They would not care because they were all Rangers, and personal appearance (the upkeep of which was of course in no way discouraged) was largely a non-concern. The Grimm would not care if your hair was straight or you were sweating through your shirt; all that mattered to them was how keen your senses were, how sharp your eye, how quick your trigger-finger, because those were the determining factors between victory and defeat.

Weiss, on the other hand, valued these things. Dmitry did not, at least not particularly, but Weiss was his friend now, and Dmitry _did _care about her and whether she would have a good time. Besides, Rangers were nothing if not versatile and adaptable.

Tonight was a mission, in a way, and though his mission parameters had radically shifted from what he was expecting, he would overcome.

He nodded to himself in affirmation, confidence renewed. If he hurried, he could run top-side and buy a good shirt and a decent pair of jeans from one of the small clothes vendors in the marketplace.

With a vigorous grip, he pulled his door open.

Weiss was on the other side.

_Abort, abort, abort!_

"Uhm…I…"

Her gaze traveled downward, and his followed.

In the excitement of his epiphany, and the hypnotic drone of his thoughts which preceded it, he had neglected to dress himself at all after exiting his shower.

He still had his towel around his waist. Small miracles.

His bulging eyes shot back up as she raised hers.

**_ABORT, ABORT, ABORT!_**

He responded with the first reflex that came to him. For some reason, that reflex was to slam the door in her face.

There was silence beyond the door for a few seconds, before he heard Weiss clear her throat, clearly fighting back her temper.

"I…apologize for interrupting…whatever I was interrupting. You were just taking quite a while, so I was going to check on you. Is everything…alright?"

Dmitry, who had taken to sitting on the ground, back leaning against the door. He raised his head from being buried in his arms, and slammed it into the wood behind him.

This time she sighed.

"Was that yes or a no?"

Dmitry sighed back, and rose to grab his phone from his bed. He quickly tapped on the keyboard, then, carefully, cracked the door enough for him to squeeze the screen through for her to read. He had briefly considered perhaps he could fit through the air-duct above his dresser, so as to reach the surface and return unseen, but decided against it. It would take far too much time. Honesty was quicker.

'_I don't have good clothes.'_

"Is that what you were taking so long over?"

'_Yes.'_

She sighed again.

"Get decent, then open this door. Let me have a look at your wardrobe."

'_You won't like it.'_

"I'll be the judge of what I do and don't like, and that wasn't a request. Open up."

After a moment of throwing on pants and his coat over an undershirt, Dmitry creaked the door open. Weiss stepped through quickly, eyeing the room around her. It was honestly about what she expected. Not much decoration, a simple, single bed, a dresser, small bookshelf with sparse reading material, and surprisingly impressive computer set-up. The only thing of real note were five framed pictures on the wall; not photographs, but drawings –sketches to be precise.

They were, admittedly, very well done, and were all of a field of flowers on what appeared to be a small bluff on a mountain-side. Weiss had not suspected Dmitry to be a patron of the arts, but that was what tonight was all about, she supposed. Learning things like that.

Remembering her mission, she made a beeline for the closet, throwing it open. She immediately set to work sliding hangers to and fro, inspecting, it seemed, every article of clothing Dmitry owned.

As she worked, her expression became more and more aghast.

"Good lord, you actually wear this? Dmitry, did you fish these out of dumpsters?" she practically gasped.

He faced away, his hands in his pockets.

Weiss turned to look at him. He looked, in that moment, quite vulnerable, not unlike how he'd seemed in the hospital, entranced by the rain. But whereas that had clearly been a vulnerability born of some distant fear or fearful memory, this was just as clearly shame, born of the present.

She pulled back her scathing instinct, and grabbed his hand.

"Come on, then. I know what our first stop should be."

* * *

Dmitry had often heard the men on the base, ever since he began training, complain about shopping with their significant others. Specifically shopping for clothes. This had always been puzzling to him; he could understand a disinterest in clothes, but it had always seemed to him that time spent with one's loved one should be pleasant.

Standing as he was now, as Weiss alternated between placing a long-sleeved grassy-green shirt, and a sea-green t-shirt against his chest, likely visualizing how each would look on him, his confusion increased. Sure enough, though their relationship was not a romantic one, Dmitry found he was happy to be around her, and to his great surprise, also found shopping for clothes to be more enjoyable than he had assumed it would be. There was something satisfying in finding something that fit well to both your body and taste.

He already had a pair of sturdy, light-shaded jeans, and Weiss eventually decided on the grassy-green shirt, and a black buttoned shirt to wear over-top it. Looking in the mirror, he felt oddly refreshed, and alleviated of the embarrassment and insecurity that had plagued him.

Turning back to Weiss, she stepped back, arms folded, surveying her work.

"Not my best work, but given the resources at hand, I think I've made you look half-respectable."

Dmitry tapped at his phone.

'_I like it.'_

"Yes, well, one outfit does not a wardrobe make. You'll need a few more pairs of pants, and more than a few shirts. It wouldn't hurt to buy some socks too, and maybe some new shoes. Those boots are rather worn," she rambled.

Dmitry discovered this was something of an area of expertise. As much as he appreciated her dedication, and how much he now decided he would enjoy such a trip, the day was growing thin, as the sun began to dip below the mountains. Weiss ceased talking as she followed his stare, realizing the time.

"In any case, we should pay for these and be on our way."

On reflex, at the front counter of the simple store in which they'd shopped –made of concrete and cinder-block, like most of the base– Weiss produced a colorful card which, to Dmitry, looked similar to a credit card, at least in size. It was after a swipe yielding no results that Weiss remembered, to no small amount of embarrassment herself, which she struggled to ignore, that lien had no value on Earth, and that she was broke.

Luckily, Dmitry came in with his own card, purchasing the clothes without incident. It was the first time he'd bought anything with his own money in a while. Not since Jay had talked him into buying a computer, at least. Since most living-expenses were covered by the Rangers or UNDF, he had little to spend his pay on besides his phone bill and internet. It left him a not insignificant financial surplus. Besides, they were his clothes, he felt he should pay for them.

Weiss' earlier satisfaction had soured from her foolish slip of common sense, but Dmitry's very sincere satisfaction with his new attire lifted her spirits back up. He was beaming in a very simple, dopy kind of way, like a child's first glimpse at gifts under the Christmas tree. It had been a long time since she'd seen anyone that excited over such a simple thing as new clothes, especially the rather unremarkable set she'd had to choose from.

At least, she thought, he would be even more excitable once they went to a proper clothing store.

As the sun drew ever further from their sight, they stood in the middle of the marketplace, as several stalls and shops began to close down, deciding what they should do.

"Jay took us on a tour around the base already, so there's no need to direct me toward the cafeteria or lounges or any of that," she explained. "I'd much prefer to see someplace more special."

'_Special?'_

"Yes, like…a place you like to spend time at, or perhaps only you would know?"

He usually spent time in his room. Or the armories. Or the shooting range. Or the gym.

…and that was about it.

Working off what Jay had said earlier, and on his own conclusions, he was able to deduce none of those places would make for an especially ideal visit. They were too…military.

Where would Jay go?

Well, it was after a mission, so probably the bar, of which the base had two on opposite sides of the market area, both of which were always open late.

Probably not a good idea. They could get rowdy, and he didn't particularly like going there.

Alright, thinking like Jay was out.

Instead, he would think like Weiss. What would she like? She was well-mannered, graceful, practically nobility in the modern age. What did Site 5 have that appealed to someone like that?

To his dismay, he could think of nothing. There was nothing that went beyond being a Ranger.

…Wait.

_Beyond. _

'_I know one place Jay definitely didn't show you.'_

* * *

When Dmitry had said he'd thought of a place, the last place Weiss had thought he would take her was down to the parking deck again. He insisted they needed a vehicle however, and so she allowed him to make arrangements with minimal complaint. He logged their departure and intended destination into the records, and was approved the use of a non-combat vehicle by the garage staff. After loading up his now spare clothes into the backseat, they departed out the west checkpoint gate.

They drove uphill for a long while, following the winding roads that slowly brought them up the closer to the Urals that Site 5 sat in the shadow of. Weiss had no idea how high up they'd driven, but the base was now very hazy in the distance, and she could even see the faint glimmer of Kotova on the very edge of the horizon.

Eventually, they left the paved road, and instead went along a rougher, dirt path which ascended at a much steeper incline. The road was much narrower, making Weiss feel a bit uneasy, but Dmitry was a competent driver, and delivered them to the peak of their ascension without undue difficulty.

It was harder to see Site 5 now, not just because of the distance, but because they came to stop at a point on the mountain that faced away from whence they had come. They now looked almost southward.

Without comment, Dmitry pulled the keys free from the ignition, and motioned for Weiss to follow further up the path on foot.

Dmitry crested the incline first, and looked out on the landscape before him. From Weiss' position a few feet lower, he looked to be inspecting something important, and when he urgently mimed for her to stop, she halted in place as he disappeared for a few moments. He came rushing back again, and grabbed her by the wrist, hauling her up the remainder of the path.

As she mounted the peak, she saw the sun brilliantly as it dipped lower in-between two mountains further west. As its rays hit the point where their sides converged, it created a shimmering beam which cast itself over them.

She cursed that it was painful to look at, as it was a gorgeous sight, but Dmitry tapped her arm, pulling her attention elsewhere. To the left of the end of the path, extending southward, was a wide bluff on a slightly downward slope, full of wildflowers. The sunlight seemed to make them sparkle, and their colors danced vibrantly in the mountainous breeze.

Dmitry guided her over to a rock, large enough for them both to sit on, and there they stayed, looking out on the golden display.

Weiss was a silent as he for a long time, as she struggled to remember where she had seen this place before, as it hovered just on the tip of her tongue. She was sure she would have remembered a place like this; it was like a work of art made real.

"Dmitry," she said finally, realization rushing to her at once.

"This place. It's the same as those drawings. The ones on your wall."

He nodded.

"Did…you draw those?"

Once again, he nodded.

Weiss found herself smiling.

"I had no idea you were an artist."

Now he was typing on his phone again, passing it over to her as he finished.

'_Rangers are taught to draw from memory so we can still perform recon even if we experience a total equipment failure.'_

"You drew those without references?"

'_I've been here enough times that I don't need to, but I still do. I think it's pretty up here. They teach you to draw landscapes, and I thought it was fun, so I would do it during my free time too.'_

"You're very good at it."

'_Plenty of Rangers can do it. It's nothing special.'_

"I would disagree. In fact, if you don't mind, could I have one of those drawings? My and Ruby's room is still very bare. A little art would be a good first step in livening it up."

He shook his head.

Weiss deflated, a bit surprised by the denial, until Dmitry passed her his phone again.

'_Those are old. Not very good. I'll make you a better one.'_

"That's sweet of you."

He gave a shy shrug, and stared ahead at the flowers. Weiss also continued to bask in the beautiful sight, as the light slowly dwindled with the passing minutes. The sky was becoming less blazing orange and red, and was instead darkening to a shade of violets and deep blue.

It was a sky that she thought she would only ever see on Remnant.

"You know," she began. "Ever since we arrived here, to Earth, there's been something that's bothered me. On Remnant, color is everywhere; it's important in almost everything, not just in art. Many people have names based on or around colors, our team included."

"Here it seems different, though. They're just not…everywhere we've been, there's been so much gray, and brown, and muted tones, and even the grass and the trees seemed duller in comparison; the first two days we were here the sky was gray, and I was _almost_ scared that that was just how Earth's sky was. It's an important part of our home, and I never thought about how alien everything would seem without it. So many things are similar, but without the color I can't ever feel really at home."

Weiss stood up from the rock and took a few steps forward, bending down to pick a blue flower from the bluff. She held it close to her face.

"You don't know how much relief this place gives me. There's color here, color like on Remnant. It's the first time I haven't felt homesick when I think about it."

She looked back at him.

"Thank you, for bringing me here," she said, then looked back down at the flower.

"I'm glad Earth is beautiful too."

The breeze picked up, and Weiss hair flew back in a way Dmitry could only describe as luxuriously, and some stray blue, white and yellow petals were blow into the wind.

The Ranger stared on as the Huntress gave the breeze no mind, and continued to delicately cup the flower in her hands. He was certain now, he knew what he would draw. He hadn't felt an urge like the one he felt now to pick up a pencil and draw in months, even years, and Dmitry cursed himself for not having a sketch pad with him to start right away.

Weiss returned to the rock, still fiddling with the flower. Night was just about upon them, and the last warmth of the sun had faded away. Their only companions now were the stars.

Still, it was a serene comfortableness.

Until Dmitry's phone vibrated, breaking the mood.

With a sigh he pulled it out, noting that he had a message. He opened his texting client to see what was needed.

_'dmtry_

_Plz chck on J_

_shes dndy drwlf w yng &amp; blk_

_she wnt answr my txts_

_Thx_

_–krva'_

Dmitry nearly scowled, but if the Captain needed something, he couldn't very well ignore it. Besides, all of team RWBY was Saber's responsibility, not just Weiss. He was sure she would understand a small detour.

He tapped away the explanation, and though he could tell she was not happy to leave, she didn't argue or complain. Instead, they both quietly walked back to the Humvee, Dmitry reaching into the back seat and producing his coat as Weiss approached the passenger side door.

In one fluid motion as he passed, he draped the thick garment over her shoulders, then rounded the vehicle into the driver's seat.

In truth, Weiss hadn't needed it. Her aura protected her from the wind, and without the wind-chill, the night temperature was still manageable. Still, despite the rocky start, the night thus far had rendered her in too good a mood to rebuke the gesture even had she wanted to. And she didn't.

Rather, she drew it closer around her, enjoying the trapped heat.

"Is it alright that I wear this?"

Dmitry grinned and shrugged again. The coat was his, or rather, it was him. Tonight was, after all, about sharing with each other; it only seemed right. He carefully maneuvered the vehicle back around, and began descending from the bluff.

* * *

The Dandy Direwolf was the northernmost bar on Site 5, and Jay's preference between the two. She would usually disappear within its walls after they returned from a deployment, attempting to drag any of Saber she could along with her. The Captain was not opposed to attending, though her work on the base usually prevented her from doing so, much like tonight. Malik had told Dmitry that he had learned a long time ago not to drink with Jay. Dmitry himself had gone once or twice, and didn't find it to his liking; alcohol, while not displeasing, was not his drink of choice.

It was a humble building, like most everything else. It was constructed of brick and concrete, and a simple billboard-ish sign sat upon the roof, advertising the name. There were windows on either side of the front doors, though they were tinted very dark.

Dmitry didn't imagine it would be a place that Weiss would find to her tastes, so he assured her she could wait in the Humvee, which he parked on one of the main vehicle thoroughfares that ran centrally through the base. She declined, insisting that Yang and Blake were her teammates, and her responsibility.

The atmosphere within the Dandy Direwolf was uncharacteristically relaxing. The dim, neon-lit tones lent themselves well to an atmosphere of leisure when there was hardly any crowd to speak of. Dmitry had only ever seen it bustling, but now it sat with nary a half-dozen people. He scoped about, trying to locate Jay, only to see her standing behind the main counter, a few bottles of liquor in front of her, and cleaning a few shot-glasses.

She looked up at the new arrivals, and waved to them as they approached.

"Hey, it's the dynamic duo! And…heeey, what's going on here?" she said with a growing smirk and wiggling eyebrows.

Weiss was unsure of what she was referring too at first, until she realized she still had Dmitry's coat wrapped around her shoulders. Her expression soured, and cheeks tinged with rushing blood.

"I happened to be cold," she snapped. "Now just where did you spirit half of my team off to?"

Jay nodded towards a booth against the wall. Yang was passed out, slumped low in her seat, snoring loudly. Blake was curled up next to her, head resting on her lap.

Given their supposed lack of communication, Weiss had been expecting much worse.

"Yeah, they tapped out after a couple drinks each. They're featherweights, who knew? Or maybe Earth drinks are stronger stuff than what you've got back home."

"Should we move them?"

"Nah. Let em sleep it off a little. Blake made a rookie mistake and tried beer before her liquor; sadly I could not stop her in time. She'll be feeling that tomorrow. Why don't I make you a little something in the meantime? Nothing too strong."

Weiss gave her a hesitant look, and Jay responded pleadingly in kind.

"Pleeease?"

"Fine. One."

"Yes!" she cheered, then gestured toward the respectably large display of drinks.

"Pick your poison."

"I'm not extensively knowledgeable when it comes to alcohol. Dare I trust your judgment?"

"Relax, relax, I'll give you something easy. Let's see…how about…ah."

Jay pulled some vodka off the shelf, along with some coffee liquor. She mixed these into a glass, with some ice, and then added cream into it as well. After some slow stirring, she slid the glass over into Weiss' hand.

"And what is this?"

"Just try it," Jay insisted.

Weiss brought the drink to her lips. The taste was not unappealing –in fact it was quite good. She set the glass back down, letting the aftertaste settle in the back of her throat. Jay continued mixing a much simpler drink, which she passed to Dmitry.

"Your regular, Jack and Coke, a true Russian drink to be sure. I can almost hear your Soviet ancestors rolling in their graves."

Dmitry gave a thumbs up as he knocked back a swig. Jay turned back to Weiss.

"How's that treatin' you?"

"It's good."

Jay smirked, glancing to Dmitry again.

"Yeah, you struck me as a girl with a thing for White Russians."

Luckily for Jay, the joke passed over Weiss' head, and Dmitry was paying the conversation no mind. He ended up only finishing half his drink, while Weiss finished all of hers. Jay sighed, looking over to Yang and Blake.

"I should probably think of a way to get them back to their room."

Dmitry tapped on his phone, sliding it across the bar.

'_You can use the Humvee to get them below ground. If you're sober.'_

"Yeah, yeah, I'm all here. I remained woefully chaste to properly guide my little ducklings through the night. You guys want a lift to?"

"We'll walk," Weiss cut in.

Jay shrugged, and leapt onto and over the bar, to the sleeping forms of Yang and Blake. In another show of her impressive strength, she lifted and then threw Yang over her shoulder, then took Blake by her waist and held her with her free arm. Dmitry and Weiss followed her out and led her to the thoroughfare. Jay set the girls in the back seat, then stepped around to the driver seat.

Weiss and Dmitry turned to leave as she stepped inside.

"Hey, D!" Jay called.

Dmitry stopped, looking back at his teammate.

"I dig the new threads."

* * *

After parting ways, Dmitry led Weiss back below into the subterranean complex. The hour had grown later than either had expected, and the early mornings that were common at Site 5 had yet to settle in with team RWBY, so Weiss thought it best to retire. Though disappointing, Dmitry admitted it was a prudent decision, and guided her. He followed her up to her quarter's door, where she reluctantly returned his coat.

"I suppose you'll need this," she said, peppered with a subtle laugh.

He nodded, taking the familiar fabric in his hands.

"I'm glad we were able to do this. It was fun. I look forward to seeing more of your art."

Weiss glanced over her shoulder at the door.

"I should get some rest. Goodnight."

He nodded again, faintly smiling at the night's success. Dmitry watched her as she pushed the door open, walking backwards so as to remain in eye-contact with him until she was across the threshold. And just like that, it was over; he stood outside her room, thinking he should go to sleep as well.

He thought that, but dismissed the idea. He had much more important work.

Dmitry walked at an urgent pace, the image of a snowy princess among windswept petals imprinted in his mind.

* * *

Major General Duff sat in what was, only a few short days ago, his forward HQ in the city of Kotova. It still technically was, if only for a scant few hours more, but much of the equipment, weapons and personnel had already vacated. He sat alone, in the midst of the night, getting an early start on the letters of condolence.

The process was typically automated, mass printing the appropriate signature onto the bottom-rihgt margin of a thousand identical sheets, all except for the deceased's name. Duff preferred to write his own for each. In an ideal world, he would write each of his soldiers their own letter, but as he looked at the stack of several hundred sheets, he bitterly conceded it was impossible in the face of his other, mountainous duties.

Then he thought to himself that, no, in an ideal world, there would be no letters. There would be no Grimm, and no walls.

He sighed as he placed another letter in his designated 'finished' pile.

His computer next to him blinked with a notification, which read _'Priority 1 Message'_. He answered it with as much haste as his tired body would allow, and on the other end of the line was a Major which he recognized as the head of the science and forensics staff at REGCOM.

The Major snapped off a salute, and Duff returned the gesture in kind.

"Sir," said the Major. "There's been an incident. We have a problem."


	9. Interlude: Hands in the Dark

"_Fear me  
I am the destruction of innocence  
I am the violence embedded in flesh  
I am the pain in the bones of the mortal shell  
the dark heart of the earth  
I am hell"_

Reign of Darkness –They Art is Murder.

Interlude**: Hands in the Dark  
**

_Clack._

_Clack._

Dress shoes against metal.

Steps with purpose, but a purpose not their own.

A tool. A vessel. A means to an end; their knowledge and hands the only things of value, and only for as long as needed. Disposable.

The hiss of a laboratory door.

No witnesses. No one to speak the truth.

No one to know the truth.

The tapping of a keyboard.

_Are you sure you wish to delete these files?_

**YES.**

A quick search. No more copies. Local files deleted. Original source deleted.

Smashing. Pulverizing. Frail components grinded underfoot. The fragments are gathered into a bag.

A weight in hand. Cold. Metal.

A holder of knowledge. A holder of truth. It must be destroyed. Smashed as well.

Clack.

Clack.

The hum of an engine. Headlights cut through darkness.

East.

East.

East.

Stop.

Evidence disposed of. Data gone. Components received. Mission complete.

No witnesses.

No loose ends.

_**No loose ends.**_

* * *

A small crowd of dark, hooded figures gathered in a musty, abandoned warehouse. It sat forgotten, along a dead-end road, long forsaken, their purposes gone after the completion of the wall years ago. Now it played home to the flickering of crimson eyes and bone-white masks, shadowy robes, gleaming blades, and the weighty metal of firearms.

One figure in particular stood above the rest. He wore a polished white mask which obscured his face and head all the way down to just above his upper lip. The headpiece stood blank, sans a painted, red eye.

He stood, a book under his arm, as his fellows took seats, or found places against the wall. In the midst of the crowd, one broke through, approaching him, and immediately falling to his knee. The Father urged for him to stand; he was the same Apostle which had accompanied him to the mountain facility, a good and righteous commander whom he now knew as Sotha.

"Something tells me, brother," said the white-masked man. "That you've not come to hear the sermon, which is a shame. I happen to be opening with one of my very favorite passages."

"I apologize, Father," said Sotha. "But I only wished to inform you that the team tasked with disposing of the missing data has reported a successful mission. With the…assistance of one of their lab-technicians, the original copy of the data within the instillation, the Ranger's external drive, and the UNDF's forensic-lab copy have all been deleted, and the drives destroyed and taken into possession."

"Well, that is excellent news. What of sister Daliah?"

"She is proceeding south as planned. If all goes well, she should arrive at her designed rendezvous point by tomorrow night."

"If all goes well," the Father echoed. "Are you certain there are no more loose ends?"

"With the exception of the Huntresses, yes. I foresee no further hindrances."

"Very good; and our own transport?"

"We will be proceeding North within two days. Our agreed upon transportation is on its way as we speak."

The Father nodded. Truly, despite their earlier mishaps, it seemed their mission was proving to be a successful one. Their trail had been covered effectively enough, and soon they would be beyond the grasp of this UNDF, and well on their way to their ultimate goal upon Remnant.

"I see. Then I would advise patience and silence; we should not press the advantage of secrecy further than we have. This UNDF appears to have suppressed our smokescreen –any more activity from us will attract their full attention. We've finally recovered that which we have sought, we will not compromise sister Daliah. Caution must now rule; we will observe, nothing more."

"Forgive my insolence, Father, but the Huntresses still trouble me. The ears and eyes within our enemy tell us that they are cooperating with the UNDF. They have told them of Remnant."

The Father waved a calming hand to the Apostle.

"What they learn of Remnant is of no consequence, they have no means to act upon their knowledge. The Huntress' memories were corrupted; I can assure you, brother, that they will remember nothing of true import. Not enough to allow them to unweave the web that has been spun until we are long, long gone, if ever at all. True, silencing them would have been ideal, a pleasure I still desire to indulge for all the trouble they caused, but I too have heard the reports. They reside with these coated Rangers now, they are beyond our reach. Let them sit, they are helpless where they are."

After a moment, the Apostle nodded, and backed away into the small crowd. The unblinking gaze of the Father lingered on his fading presence, then he returned to the front-center of the mass.

Looking down upon them, he gestured to them a welcoming.

"Wonderful to see you, my brothers and sisters. All Glory."

"All Glory," the mass muttered.

The Father laid out and opened the book he carried under his arm.

"I would like to begin with a story many of you likely know by heart. For our Earth-born brethren, however, who have woefully been long denied our sacred texts, I would like to take the time."

He cleared his throat, and rose his hands up in a grand gesture.

"From the North, the land of ever-night, where the crimson stars shine a light of ancient blood, the people of the country cried out in fear of invaders. Crusaders. South-men. Warriors of lands unblessed with the great shadow cast by the Lord Primordial, and where light and sun scorched the ground and the old moon gifted only madness to men.

They cried out in fear of these savages, and looked to the ever-seeing stars, and the great mountain temple, beseeching their overseer to save them from their plight.

And from the high mountain temple did descend a woman garbed in crimson, and she did say unto the people: I am the Oracle on High, and I say the words of thy Lord:

'_Bow in fear and dominion to me. I, whose descent silenced the old moon. I, the crumbler of mountains and swallower of seas. I, the seeing eyes of the crimson stars, which bathes you in the blessed blood-light. Bow to me, your Lord.'_

And the people did bow. The Oracle, mouth of the Primordial One, continued:

'_Your fear of the South-men, those crusaders who purge this land with fire and swords, has reached me. So I say to you now: go, and gather the great beasts of this land that hunger for flesh, who drip with venom, who prey from above. Gather them, and slaughter them in homage to me. Bring the carcasses to the shores of Lake H'Li, and cast them into the waters. Do this, and from death, I shall bring life anew, crafted and remade in service to me, and bring upon your invaders a horror of fang and bone and shadow._

_Upon their backs, death shall ride.'"_


	10. Chapter 9: Faustian Burn

"To forget the dead would be akin to killing  
them a second time."  
– Elie Wiesel, _Night_

"The wounded recognized the wounded."  
– Nora Roberts, _Rising Tides_

**Chapter 9: Faustian Burn**

Major Wilhelm leaned against the holo-table in the Breach CP as the late night's cooled air wafted into the tent. The blue-tinted digital representation of his surroundings displayed the wreckage area, construction zones, defensive positions, and where the search teams were currently sweeping. Colonel Biko had been recalled to REGCOM on business, leaving him in charge of things, and with the recent instructions to report any findings to Major General Duff as securely as possible.

He would follow Biko's instructions without question, but the inspection had, thus far, yielded nothing, and the investigation was nearly completed. By the end of the day, they would likely have the last of the fragments from the peak of the arch finished, with nothing to show for it.

"Sir."

Wilhelm turned from his blank stare into the projected light toward one of the officers seated at the make-shift terminals.

"We're receiving a transmission from Hound 2."

From the display, he could see that Hound 2 was in the very peak of the Breach fragments.

"Patch them through, and link me to visuals," he ordered, slipping on a nearby headset.

The screen in front of him blipped to life as he took a position leaning over the officer's seat.

"Hound 2, this is CP, give me a sitrep, over."

Through the squad leader's head-mounted camera –switched to night vision– Wilhelm could see they were in a tilted corridor. They were in formation around a damaged, seemingly melted blast door.

"CP, this is Hound 2, we've identified an unknown object in the O-77 auxiliary ammunition store-room."

"Can you give me anything on it?"

"Metallic, rectangular, roughly a meter long, half a meter tall. It's severely scorched and partially melted, along with most of the surrounding area."

"Visual?"

"Standby."

Hound-leader crept over to the ruined blast door, and peaked over the cap into the room. The object was quickly distinguished due to the floor warping underneath it, and creating a sort of cup as the melted metal hardened once more to hold it in place. It was roughly the size Hound 2 had described, and too was partly melted down.

"We suspect it to be some sort of explosive device. Recommend EOD perform a further inspection."

"Agreed. Pull back to a safe distance, we'll get someone in there, ASAP."

"Acknowledged, out."

Wilhelm nodded to the officer, and the feed cut. He pulled the headset off, and ran a head through his hair. It seemed he was getting exactly what he'd wanted.

"Call for an EOD team. Pull back the other inspection teams, and tell the perimeter guards to make sure no one but authorized personnel get close."

* * *

Ruby hadn't known the people being burned to ashes in the funeral pyres –didn't even know their names until she'd asked– but she couldn't fight back the dread that this had been her fault.

Watching now as a procession carried the masks of the deceased Rangers, laid atop their folded coats, up to a distant hill –that, while laying above Site 5, was not yet part of the mountain range proper– she couldn't help but feel that had she never ended up in that facility, no one would have ever had to go there, they would have caught the breach sooner. That one instance had been the catalyst for every difficulty and tragedy that had occurred over the last few days.

Korva seemed to notice, and stood closer to her, sure to keep an arm over her shoulder, as if to reassure her it wasn't her fault. Maybe she was right, but the weeping families and lonesome children that bravely marched into the distance, carrying the wardrobes of their parents and spouses, would likely have different words for her.

She was supposed to be a hero; what good was she –what worth was she, if she couldn't save people?

"Where are they taking them?" asked Blake.

Her eyes were locked on the fading figures, even as the gathered attendees began to filter away from the pyre cinders. She and Yang had bags under their eyes from the previous night, but as they discovered, Huntresses were damn good at shaking off hang-overs.

"Shashka Hill," answered Malik.

"The final resting place of every Ranger along the Urals."

"Why save the coats and not the bodies?" asked Yang.

"The first Ranger was known by the name of Shashka," began Korva. "It is a Russian sword –a saber, which she carried into battle, earning her the name."

"The story goes that she died upon that hill, many years ago, when the Rangers were still young. She was the first to wear a coat, and emblemize it. When she died, her followers chose not to leave her remains at the mercy of wandering Grimm, and burned her body. To honor her, they retrieved her coat, and began wearing their own, beginning the tradition that all Rangers now follow. Hers, and the sword she wielded, still sits upon Shashka Hill, at its highest point, as a reminder that when we die, the coats will be our legacy."

Team RWBY was collectively silent, their eyes glossing over their companion's distinctive garbs –from Korva's worn down antique to Dmitry's newly torn coat, freshly adorned with the visage of a Widow on his right shoulder– in a new light. There was the dawning realization that the idea of the coats, the idea of it being blank being bad luck, and not being considered a real Ranger until it was marked, until it had a story to tell, had suddenly become clear to them. They weren't a method of self-expression –at least not only that.

They were gravestones.

The coats were symbolic of a Ranger's life. To have a blank coat was to be a phantom. You were nothing; no memories, no history, no stories. Nothing for anyone to remember you through. You may as well have never been alive.

There was a moment of creeping fear as they wondered how long it might be before the coats standing next to them were empty.

* * *

Miles away on the opposite side of the mountains, Colonel Biko pushed open the doors to Duff's office, a vanilla folder in hand. The General looked up from the work he'd been tending to, only for the folder to be slapped over the papers in front of him. He pushed aside his dwindling pile of condolence letters, anything be enthusiastic about interruptions. The previous night's crisis was the worst possible development at the worst possible time, and there had been little to be done to control the damage, leaving him sour.

The data that had been recovered from the 020 Installation had gone missing, or rather, as Duff concluded, had been stolen. All three separate copies were gone, and the team assigned to recover anything that they could admitted that whomever had done the deed had covered their tracks well, and that without some sort of physical source copy, there was little hope of retrieving anything.

One copy had been archived into the lab's servers, but that file had been deleted, and its data space that may have yielded some sort of recovery had been re-allocated, flooded with junk-files. The two other copies were held on the portable drive which Saber Team had used to recover the information in the first place, which was missing, and the other was a local file held on the desktop of the lead analyst. That desktop had been smashed to pieces, and its hard-drive was missing as well.

The prime suspect had been a 2nd Lieutenant attached to the investigation, who had been declared AWOL overnight. Military Police searched for him, while Russian national military forces beyond UNDF zones of jurisdiction were made aware of the situation, and local law-enforcement officers aided in the search within the city. He was eventually discovered by MPs outside the city limits, his stolen vehicle flipped over in a ditch on a back-road, and had apparently died on impact. The data storage devices were nowhere to be found. The point was, they were now nearly back to square one, with no obvious source of answers for what truly was happening, or how it had occurred.

And he was the one who got the privilege of informing Command on the sorry state of their investigation once the envoy arrived.

"Colonel, what–"

"We have something."

That was all Duff needed to flip the folder open. Within were a series of photographs, as well as a brief typed up report. He began by looking through the images, which were initially of a heavily damaged, melted metallic device, and then continued on to a strangely glittery substance which appeared to be smeared within the inner machinations, and along the side of the object. Most of the residue in question was red, but there were tiny orange blotches barely visible.

"What am I looking at?"

"Search team found it late last night," answered Biko. "EOD follow-up confirmed it to be an explosive device, but the make is an unknown –explosive agent is a mystery too."

"What's been done with it?"

"Nothing yet. Perimeter's secure, the only people who know about it are Wilhelm, the immediate staff, at the teams who discovered it. Other than that, it's been left alone."

Duff flipped through the images again.

"I'm hoping he didn't send them through standard channels."

"He was sure to be discrete."

"Good. You said the EOD team couldn't identify the explosive agent? Did they take a sample?"

"Negative. Whatever it is, it seems to still be reactive. It's part of the reason they've yet to move the device."

The General rubbed his chin.

"Still reactive…"

"You sound like you've figured something out."

"I think I have, but it's just a hunch; I need confirmation. Contact the Major, tell him to attempt collecting a sample following the guidelines I'll be sending to him shortly, and have it delivered here immediately. And thank you, Colonel, for bringing this to my attention, this might be just what we need. You're dismissed, and pass my thanks on to the Major. If you'll excuse me, I have people I need to reach."

* * *

"Where exactly are we going, Tasha?"

Korva glanced over her shoulder with nothing but a knowing grin.

"I just thought you would appreciate some fresh-air."

In truth, the Captain had noticed the heavy weight which was bearing down on young Ruby's shoulders. She was far too virtuous for her own good, and was packing the guilt of the entire week's events upon herself. It wasn't healthy, and more than that, it wasn't right. Korva believed staunchly that, despite the undeniable crisis that had resulted from the 020 Facility's destruction, Ruby and her team had only the best intentions, and that whatever had happened to bring them there, it was not of their own will or power.

Attempting to bear all the world's ills was admirable, but impossible, and self-destructive. Korva hated to see the poor girl's own good nature cause her suffering. For this reason, she had decided to bring Ruby top-side for something she had already suspected she might enjoy, and which Yang helpfully confirmed would raise her spirits.

Laid out at the shooting range, were a plethora of selected weapons which Korva had hand-picked for the girl to sample. She seemed to have an enthusiastic attitude toward the subject, given her own self-designed and elaborate weapon, and the rest of her team corroborated this conclusion. She hoped this would allow Ruby to enjoy herself after the dim mood of the earlier morning.

Upon their arrival, Ruby's eyes darted from firearm to firearm, taking each in individually.

"What is all this?"

"I thought perhaps we could have a bit of fun, and train at the same time. You've proven to be an adept sharpshooter, I thought giving a few Earth weapons a try might make for a memorable experience."

By the time Korva had finished her sentence, Ruby was already holding an anti-material sniper-rifle in her hands –which was curiously not a weapon Korva had selected, providing a mystery of how she had just come across it- her eyes gleaming excitedly.

"This one, this one first!"

Korva, not wanting to dash her enthusiasm, but also no wanting to catch a lecture from Zhukov, kindly took the likely unauthorized weapon out of her hands.

"Let's…perhaps start somewhere smaller."

Ruby pouted at not being able to use the big-guns, but was contented with the variety before her if nothing else. She supposed starting with her wheelhouse would be good, and so picked up a rifle that was clearly intended for long-range combat, due to the impressively sized scope. Its frame was crafted from bright, polished wood, with a metallic, bolt-action firing mechanism. Ruby was relieved to see that it was even designed for the left-handed, a convenience that she was grateful Korva had observed.

The Captain now held her own rifle in hand, and grabbed a few rounds that had been neatly placed next to it. Pulling back the breach, and after a precautionary check of the chamber and barrel, she began sliding the rounds into the magazine. Ruby mirrored the actions, until the five-round weapon was fully loaded.

A flip of a switch on a small panel nearby sent distant targets flinging upright, ready to receive fire. Due to the constraints of the base, its on-site firing range was not specifically ideal for long-range fire –it was wider than it was long, and a more attentively constructed range a few kilometers south was more suited for it– but as it was less serious training and more a chance to experiment and experience, it was of little consequence.

Ruby, proving her skill once again, struck her first shot center-mass. Korva's was just a hair below the neck.

"Good shot, I thought you might have a knack with these."

"I was aiming for the head," Ruby admitted. "I'm used to Crescent Rose's recoil, these don't have as much oomph."

She pulled back the breach and popped free her expended round, adjusting her aim for the second shot, and came closer to her goal, striking roughly the area of the chin.

"Excellent. I couldn't claim to have been so skilled at your age."

"I think you might still have me beat when it comes to experience," she replied shyly.

Korva smiled wryly at her.

"Are you insinuating I'm an old woman, Ruby?"

"W-what? No, that's not– oh, I get it. You're messing with me."

"I am," she admitted, firing her second shot into the right cheek of her target.

"Experience will come with time, Ruby. Life has a way of teaching you many things, even if not all its lessons are easy. For people like us, the hardest lesson to learn is that you can't…you can't save everyone."

"I know what you're trying to say, Tasha, but–"

"No 'buts'," she interjected, "I heard your story, and I believe it. You were doing your duty. You had no way of knowing any of this would happen; it is not your fault. Moreover, you jumped at the chance to help people you didn't know. I would hope I know at least enough about you to know that it was not guilt that fueled that decision."

She shook her head.

"You did all you could, Ruby. Far more than would be expected of a girl your age. That you mourn for those you have never met speaks volumes of your character, but shouldering this misplaced responsibility is not wise."

Ruby lowered her rifle, slacking in her grip. She stared into this distance, in thought, a begrudging expression on her face.

"Are you saying I should just forget about them?"

"Of course not. Forgetting and letting go are very different things, Ruby. One is a denial of the past, the other is an acceptance of it. People died; good people –brave people. Was it due to a consequence of your arrival here? Possibly, and maybe even likely, but you did not kill them, and you did not want them to die, and you did not choose to come here. Remember them –mourn them if you wish, but don't carry their memories as weights on your shoulders dragging you back to the past. You must keep moving forward, as the Rangers are fond of saying."

Ruby couldn't deny the wisdom in the words. She nodded to herself in silent agreement, thinking for the first time since waking up that she might have been wrong. The validation was soothing.

She also couldn't deny –In a momentary pang of sad remembrance– that Tasha was speaking from experience.

"Thanks," she said finally. "For looking out for me, I mean."

Korva smiled as she fired another shot.

"Think nothing of it, _tovarich_."

"Tova-what?"

"_Tovarich_. A Russian word. You are my comrade, my ally. You are my friend. _Tovarich_."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot. I never hear you speak it."

Korva shrugged with a hint of dejection.

"I rarely get the chance; only with Zhukov, on occasion. Thanks to the UNDF, English is steadily becoming the global lingua franca…that is, the common global language. There are already children more fluent in it than their native tongues."

She turned to look at Ruby, the melancholy instantly vanishing, replaced with a soft smile.

"I hope you don't mind that I slip a word in. Speaking clear English in the field is vital, so I try not…it's good to keep vocabularies separate, but I give in sometimes."

Ruby shook her head.

"I don't mind. After all, what's the point of getting stranded in an alternate universe if you don't learn anything, right?"

"Exactly."

The two of them stayed at the firing range for a good while, eventually moving on from the rifles to shotguns, then revolvers. The sun continued its slow crawl up from the horizon, getting close to mid-day, when one of the olive-garbed security staff approached them. The woman lifted her hat to the two of them, standing rigid with respect.

Korva nodded in return, gesturing for her to speak.

"Ranger Korva, Field Master Zhukov has requested yours and Ms. Weiss Schnee's presence in his office, ASAP."

"For what reason?"

"I wasn't told, only that it's urgent."

"Very well, thank you."

The guard nodded, turned about, and marched off. Korva sighed and looked to Ruby apologetically.

"Looks like we'll have to save the rest for another time. I'll escort you back to the elevator; find Weiss if you would, while I clear this up."

"Whatever you say, _tovarich_."

* * *

Malik hit the ground hard, prompting applause from the onlookers of team RWBY, sans the R, and Dmitry. Jay towered over him, soaking in the praise.

"This is barbaric," Weiss sighed.

Jay wiped the sweat from her brow as Malik rose to his feet.

"Hey, sometimes you gotta get your hands dirty, princess."

"That's not what I'm talking about. I'm referring to the little gambling operation that a certain member of my team seems to think I'm not noticing."

Yang put her hands up defensively.

"What? It's just between friends. Besides, we're just betting meals; thank you Jay, you just earned Blake and I all of Dmitry's steak at dinner for the next two days."

Jay responded with a salute to the girls as she chugged down some water. Malik plopped down on the bench next to his unfortunate teammate. Weiss looked disappointedly at Blake.

"You too?"

"The steak is good, okay? Sorry Dmitry."

He shrugged, defeated.

"Did you seriously bet on me?"

Dmitry nodded solemnly, mourning the loss of his steak. Malik pat him in on the back.

"I appreciate the confidence, buddy, but that was a terrible idea."

"Well here's another bet. You get in the ring, D, and I'll give you three days worth of _my_ steak if you can beat me. You've gotta be more of a challenge than pipsqueak."

"Oh, har-har."

Dmitry was on his feet and in the ring, shedding his shirt and shoes, before Jay had even finished making her jab at Malik. She was taken aback at his enthusiasm for a moment, but grinned and hopped back to her starting position. Dmitry performed some preparatory stretches, Jay mirroring the action.

As the two milled around before their match, Yang leaned in on Weiss, resting her arm on the shorter girl's shoulder. Before she could even tell her teammate to get off of her, Yang emitted a low but unmistakable purr, quite sultry in tone.

"Almost forgot that was under there."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," she said knowingly.

"No, I'm afraid I don't. And get off my shoulder."

"Dmitry."

"What? What about him?"

"Look at him. He's always wearing his coat, and the fatigues are kinda baggy, so it's easy not to notice, but dang, he's got stuff going on under there."

"I fail to see why you're bringing this up," she grumbled.

She grumbled half because Yang's teasing consistently annoyed her, and half because now that it had been pointed out to her, she was looking probably more intently than she would have liked to admit.

It was nothing out of the ordinary, she reminded herself. Nothing remarkable. Physical fitness was a given in their line of work, Ranger or Hunter. Still, it was admirable in a way. Pleasing aesthetically, she could admit that much to herself, but it didn't _really_ concern her; it was more evidence of discipline, perseverance, self-improvement, and dedication –things Weiss valued.

"It's just you seem to get along pretty well, for whatever reason, and you did go on that little date–"

"It was just a friendly outing," Weiss snapped.

"Right, well you can forgive me for assuming you might…you know…"

"I might what? Spit it out, Xiao Long."

"I'm just saying you seem like you might have a little crush, that's all. It's no big deal."

"That is _absurd_."

"Is it?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, okay," Yang placated, "but even if you did, like it said, it's no big deal. A crush is a crush is a crush, it's not like it's serious. It's a new world, we're all a little homesick, emotions are all over the place…"

"Yang."

"Alright, I'm done, I'm done."

"Fine."

"Anyway, two puddings says your boyfriend gets smashed."

"_Yang_," she growled.

"…_bet accepted_."

The first round did not go in Dmitry's favor. He got a few strikes in, but Jay's guard was tight, and they were deflected. In the end, he ended up thrown onto his back.

He shook his head, clearing away the daze, and retook his stance. Round two began, and this time Dmitry was more cautious. He probed Jay's defenses, playing the footsie game, trying to get her to make a mistake. There was a lot of quick-stepping backwards and forward.

Finally, Jay grew impatient and went for the offensive. This was what Dmitry had been waiting for, caught the punch, and pulled her gut into his knee. He delivered two strikes, but on the third, Jay anchored her foot behind his, and threw her weight forward, toppling them both.

Jay rolled, rose much faster, and moved to press her advantage, but Dmitry expected as much, and swept her legs from beneath her. Now the advantage was reversed, and Jay found herself in a headlock. She could feel Dmitry gearing up for a throw, and slammed her head back, striking him in the face. His grip didn't relent. She repeated. This time he stumbled back, and she scrambled for distance.

Some blood dribbled down from Dmitry's nostrils, which he dabbed with his fingers.

"Shit, clocked you good, huh? Wanna stop?"

Dmitry advanced, once more in a stance, providing his answer. Jay grinned, and threw another punch his way. The first he deflected, the second he ducked beneath, and the third he caught, creating an opening which he pressed, smacking Jay in the jaw with his elbow.

Debilitated, Dmitry hooked her leg, and threw her down, being sure to maintain control of her wrist and shoulder. As she impacted the floor, his knee came down on her throat.

"Hah! Fuckin slippery!" Jay laughed.

Blake politely applauded the match while Yang called out some friendly jeering at Dmitry's expense, and cheers of encouragement for Jay. Weiss responded in kind.

The two retook their positions for the final round, the both of them focusing on the match, though Dmitry appreciated Weiss' sudden vote of confidence.

The round ended as quickly as it began. Jay adopted an unexpectedly offensive tactic of running straight forward at full speed, and spearing Dmitry in the gut. It was such a brash, uncalculated maneuver, that by the time he though to counter it, he was already being lifted over Jay's head, and crashed back down on the mat, stunning him for a few seconds.

The round, and the match, went to Jay. She stood triumphant and flexing.

"I'm the queen! I'm the queen, and this ring is my kingdom! Who wants a piece of the Jay Jackson Juke n' Jive next?"

Yang snickered, and without hesitation ran into the ring, and effortlessly sacked Jay, threw her over her shoulders, and then lifted her above her head. Jay was so flabbergasted that she could only laugh.

"Holy shit, are you seeing this Malik?"

"I'm seeing it."

"Is this not the sickest shit?"

"Honestly the casual disregard for commonly accepted reality is losing its novelty, which is not something I ever saw myself saying."

Blake nodded.

"I can confirm that Yang throwing people over her shoulders get very old, very fast."

"Oh, shut up, you know you love it!"

Dmitry finally gathered the strength to push himself up from the floor, and sat upright. He snorted up all the blood pooling in his nose, and hocked up onto the concrete floor. He felt a slap upside the back of his head, and looked up to see Weiss, holding out a handkerchief.

"Good lord, don't be disgusting, Dmitry. Wipe yourself up, you're a mess."

He took the cloth without and wiped at his nose and upper lip.

"And don't even think about handing that back to me until you've cleaned it."

He nodded.

As he was blowing into it, she knelt down, and began running her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. He imagined if his head weren't pounding from the most recent blow, it might have felt nice.

"You don't seem to be bleeding anywhere else. Small miracles. How do you feel?"

He waggled his free hand, then pointed to his temple.

"Come on," she sighed, "let's get you to the infirmary, you glutton for punishment."

"Weeeeiss!"

Ruby came barreling into the gym, sliding to a stop just behind Weiss, panting from her rapid pace.

"What are you doing, Ruby?"

"I had to come find you, but you weren't in our room, so I figured you might be with Blake and Yang, but they were gone, so I figured I'd try to find Jay, but she–"

Weiss snapped her fingers, cutting Ruby off.

"Ruby, get to the point. What do you want?"

"The Captain's going to meet you at our room, she's supposed to take you up to Zhukov's office. I guess he called for you."

"What for?"

"Not sure, but it's important, whatever it is. They want you there as fast as possible."

Weiss sighed, but nodded.

"Fine, I'll head back in a minute."

"Alright, I'll be back at the room too, so I'll see you there."

Weiss looked to Dmitry apologetically as Ruby walked away. He looked warily into space where she had been standing a moment ago.

She could sense an aura of concern coming off him.

"I'm sure it's fine," she reassured him.

"Get Yang and Blake to take you to the infirmary, I'll be back before you know it."

Dmitry exhaled and nodded, a sliver of a smile on his face. He wasn't even sure why it worried him. Weiss let her gaze linger into her first step, grinned back, then walked after Ruby. Dmitry sat, nursing his nose, and listened to Weiss' echoing footsteps fade down the hallway.

* * *

The elevator ride up to the top of the administration building was hauntingly quiet. Weiss wasn't sure why she felt she was walking towards an execution, or judgement, but there was a foreboding air to her journey with the Captain. She too seemed unusually grim, which may have been part of why Weiss felt the chill up her spine about the whole affair. Korva obviously suspected something about their summons.

"I don't suppose you have any idea what this is about?"

"I can't say I do, unfortunately. Zhukov doesn't usually call for people up to his office; it's curious."

"Curious, or concerning?"

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. The waiting room was totally empty; even the secretary was absent from her regular station.

"The two have been going hand in hand lately."

Inside Zhukov's office, they found the man in question peering out one of the windows, the blinds drawn down, and permitting only small slivers of light through. He glanced over his shoulder as the door clicked closed, wordlessly gesturing for them to take seats at his desk.

"Thank you both for coming so quickly. I'm sure you're wondering what this is about."

"It came up," replied Korva.

"Well, I won't beat around the bush. Duff called me a short while ago, he kept things brief and vague, but if I'm interpreting things right, they've found something in the wreckage of the Breach. They have a theory, but they haven't conclusively identified what it is yet, which I assume is why they have requested your presence, Ms. Schnee."

Weiss gave him a puzzled look.

"What could I identify that one of their staff couldn't?"

"He wouldn't say, but he was insistent that you come to REGCOM. Captain Korva will be your escort for the trip. There's a transport on standby at helipad four, report there as soon as you leave here."

They both nodded, and stood from their seats, but Zhukov raised his hand, stopping them before they could step towards the door.

"One more thing. For the moment, this matter is on a need-to-know basis. You're not to inform either of your teams about this until, or unless, it becomes necessary. Understood?"

"Understood," they both echoed.

"Good. You have a flight to catch, ladies. Don't be late."

In the time intervening between the Major General being informed that a sample had been successfully contained and its arrival, a laboratory had been prepped, and put under proper guard. Colonel Biko kept watch personally from within to ensure the recently delivered sample remained untampered with.

Duff pressed into his earpiece as he stepped down the hall.

"Control, do you have anything?"

"_Affirmative, General, we have an incoming Ranger transport, should be touching down any second."_

"Have them escorted to the first-floor East labs."

"_Understood, sir."_

He walked to the end of the hall and nodded to the pair of guards flanking the door to the sealed lab. One turned to the control pad next to the threshold, and tapped a few buttons on a numerical pad. A hiss and pop came from some unseen locking mechanism, and the door slid open, allowing Duff passage. It slid closed again as he stepped through.

Biko, as well as two lab technicians stood rigid upon his entrance. He waved them off, signifying they could stand at ease.

"Sample's secure, sir, we've got everything set up. Is our "resident expert" on her way?"

"She's touching down now. They should be here any minute, then maybe we can finally get some answers."

"If you _are_ right, what does it mean?"

"I'm not sure," Duff admitted. "We'll determine if the assumption's even correct first, then we'll proceed from there once Command's envoy arrives later today."

Biko nodded, turning his gaze towards the sample sitting in a small cylindrical container on the work-table next to the microscope. They stood in wait for another minute or so, while the lab techs finished last-minute prep-work. The familiar hiss and pop of the door gained both their attention, as Captain Korva and Weiss passed through into the lab.

"Captain, Ms. Schnee," greeted Biko.

Korva nodded to him.

"Colonel…General."

Duff looked directly to Weiss.

"Ms. Schnee, thank you for coming. We have a mystery on our hands that I believe you can solve for us regarding the breach."

"What kind of mystery?"

Duff motioned for her to approach the work-table. One of the lab techs handed her a pair of latex gloves, which she donned without question. The other unsealed the cylinder container, producing a petri dish filled with a red-orange substance which, even in the low light, managed to glimmer. It was placed beneath the microscope.

"We recovered this substance from one of the remaining fragments of the breach. We've yet to identify it, but I have a theory I'd like for you to help me confirm. I first need for you to tell me if you can determine what this sample is."

"I'm no chemist," she muttered, "but I'll help if I can."

Weiss sat down in front of the microscope, and pressed her eye to the lense. Korva watched as she turned the dials to properly focus in on the subject in the dish, and noticed the sharp intake of air as she finally brought them to a rest, and began sliding the dish from side to side. She lifted her head from the lense twice, but returned to look again, as if to ensure she wasn't seeing things.

"You said you found this in the breach?"

"We did. Can you tell us what it is?"

Weiss slid back and away from the microscope.

"There's no doubt that it's Dust. Fire-Dust to be exact, but it also seems to have Magma-Dust intermingled with it. That's a very dangerous combination."

"How?"

"Well, if improperly handled, Dust can be very dangerous, and if two different types go active in close proximity with one another, they can cause a variety of different reactions."

"And this mixture in particular?"

"Fire and Magma? It would result in just what you imagine it would; an explosion with a short but extremely intense temperature, enough to nearly disintegrate most…most commonly…used metals."

Weiss had a look of realization, and turned to look at the General.

"That's what caused the breach, isn't it. A Dust reaction."

"That was what we assumed, and this confirms our suspicions. We procured this sample from a damaged device found in one of the ammunition storerooms."

Duff nodded to Biko, who presented the same vanilla folder he'd delivered to the General's desk earlier in the day. Duff flipped through it, handing over the images of the anomalous machine.

"I don't suppose you've ever seen a device like this as well, have you?"

Weiss squinted at the photos, debating internally as to the manner of object she was looking at. For the second time, Weiss' breathing halted for a slip second.

"Yes."

"What is it, exactly?"

"I can't be absolutely certain, but from the looks of it…it's a scaled down version of an SDC Electromagnetic Granular Separator, but…no, this configuration is all wrong. The filters…the crystalline particles would be too large, and these conductors, it would all just…it's a collider. It's a Dust collider."

"Particle acceleration on that small of a scale?"

"Not on a sub-atomic level, no," Weiss clarified. "You have to understand, the process of turning Dust crystals into Dust powder was historically a very dangerous one. It was my grandfather, Faustus Schnee, who placed the Schnee Dust Company on the map by developing a revolutionary method of powder production using electromagnetism to tear crystals apart grain by grain –a Granular Separator. Originally these machines were so large, buildings had to be devoted specifically to house just a pair of them, but over the decades, they've been scaled down, and now there are dozens per facility, but this is smaller than I've ever seen."

"So whoever they were, we can assume that they brought this from Remnant," muttered Duff. "It's the only way to explain the Dust. Is it possible there's a traitor in your family's midst?"

"It's…Possible. Even ignoring the mystery of how something that, at the very least, _based_ on SDC technology made it here to Earth, this design, the configuration, is top-secret. Not even many of our researchers have access to the complete schematics; the fact that not only was a scaled down version present, but it was modified extensively enough to weaponize, and allow even one to detonate, is chilling."

"So the breach, the 020 facility, Kotova, it was all a coordinated attack?" asked Korva.

"But why? Why would anyone from Remnant want to attack Earth? I'm still shocked that anyone from Remnant could even get here. The kind of technology that would require…the SDC is the cutting edge in nearly every frontier of science, and I can say with absolute certainty we have nothing close to that kind of technology."

"Regardless, you're here," Duff pointed out. "Which means _someone_ does. It's possible that however you came here, our attackers used the same method. They may even be the ones responsible for your presence here."

"Which means, if we find them, we may find the answers we need to send you home," Korva concluded.

This single discovery allowed for many pieces of the puzzle to fall into place. There was finally some idea of what was going on, which only increased the mystery surrounding Command's flaccid response. Their envoy was still due to arrive in a few hours, and they would likely want a full briefing, if they weren't already aware of the series of attacks.

There was now only one variable that seemed an outlier. The continued mumblings of the incident in the south, the event which prompted the deployment of the envoy in the first place. Every recent event had so far been tied together, however loosely; the crisis to the south had to be involved as well. A missing piece which might allow for a full understanding of the mystery surrounding them, perhaps even allow some sort of offensive action against the perpetrators.

Duff had lost good men and women over the last few days. He was a man of justice, but he also wasn't above revenge.

"There's still more work to be done. Ms. Schnee, I'd like for you to remain here for a while longer. I want to attempt to move the device to a more secure location for you to examine it more–"

"_Major General, this is Air Control, please respond."_

Duff sighed, and pressed his finger to his ear-piece.

"One moment…this is Duff, go ahead."

"_General, we have three incoming air-craft. Unscheduled."_

"Are they signaling?"

"_Their IFF's read UNDF. There's a signal transmitting, but it's just an automated sequence of authentication codes."_

"Are they valid?"

"_They're from a section of Command that ends with a brick wall a mile thick, but they're good."_

It certainly sounded like the envoy that was due in, but it was much earlier than they were scheduled to arrive. The development was inconveniencing, and suspect. Why the early arrival?

"Divert them to the far West landing pads."

"_Roger that, sir."_

The General turned to Korva and Weiss.

"Change of plans, for now return to Site 5. I have an ill-timed guest to deal with. I'll be in touch. "

Korva nodded, then waved Weiss over. The two filed out of the lab, Duff and Biko following suit, and parting ways with them to opposite directions. Weiss glanced over her shoulder to where the General and Colonel had disappeared.

"What was that about?"

"It's complicated. We'll talk about it later."

"This all has something to do with Remnant. My family. Ruby and the others should know, Captain."

"And they will. Soon. For now, we follow our orders and keep this to ourselves."

"I don't like keeping secrets from my friends," she muttered.

"And you think I do?"

The subtly surprised expression on Weiss' face told her it had come out harsher than she had meant it.

"I'm sorry, that was unwarranted. I'm sure this was all a very shocking series of revelations for you, and that you're concerned for your family. I know you probably want to talk about it with someone, and if that's the case, you can always come to me in the meantime, but this is classified need-to-know, and unless Zhukov says otherwise, that does not include either of our teams."

"I understand. And thank you for the offer, Captain."

Korva was right about one thing, Weiss' family was a cause for concern.

Just likely not in the way the Captain assumed.

* * *

Major General Duff stood expectantly at the West-end helipads, Colonel Biko to his left, Agent Hamilton, who had invited himself, to his right. Command's envoy and their attaché were due to land any moment.

The roar of jet engines could be heard overhead, quickly approaching. Duff looked into the distance to spot what he identified as a pair of FA-90 Harpy gunships, escorting the much bulkier form of a Wyvern transport. Harpies were primarily small-capacity transports favored by Special Forces units for their extreme speed, versatile customizable armament, and maneuverability, capable of providing extensive fire-support at a moment's notice. They almost resembled fighters or interceptors in their sleekness, they were much more narrow in both height and width than the Chimera, and replaced the rotor struts common on most modern VTOLs with powerful side-mounted, vectored jet-engines and afterburners.

They were rarely used by regular Army and Marine forces due to their cost, and need for more frequent maintenance. The Chimera was slower and bulkier, but they could carry nearly three times the passengers, and almost never broke down.

The Wyvern which flew between them seemed to have been modified with similar propulsion, likely to keep pace with its faster cousins.

The Harpies remained in the air as the Wyvern descended, nearly deafening as the thrusters sent waves of heat all through the helipad. Mercifully, the crafted landed, and the engines cut. Duff could see, out of the rear-hatch doors of the Harpies, two figures each sat, rifles in hand, scanning the grounds. They really weren't taking a chance on security –It made the standard dozen guards stationed around the perimeter seem utterly lax.

There was a groan as the Wyvern's landing gear made contact with the landing pad. The rear hatch hissed open, revealing a whole procession of figures; a woman flanked by two armed guards led the file, while another dozen soldiers marched behind her.

They all, except the woman, who was adorned in an olive dress uniform with a Colonel's insignia, wore black BDUs and light combat vests, baklavas and tactical sunglasses entirely obscured their faces. Red berets sat atop their heads; they and the sunglasses were the only things in common with their Colonel. They screamed Special Forces, but Duff couldn't place the unit.

As she stopped in front of the General, she saluted, but it was an unenthused gesture, hollow of any respect or formality. It was not lost on Duff as he returned the salute dutifully.

"Welcome to the North Urals, Colonel…"

"Farroway," she answered, "And if it's all the same to you, General, I'd like to skip the formalities. We don't have much time."

"Time for what?"

"It's need-to-know, General, and frankly I can't speak on this at all until we get somewhere secure. Your office?"

Duff nodded, and led the group inside. Colonel Farroway's guards attempted to follow, but she dismissed them, sending them off to whatever work they had arrived to do. Colonel Biko fell in next to Duff, while Hamilton shuffled just barely ahead of Farroway.

The walk and elevator ride up was a tense and uncomfortable silence.

When they finally reached the office, Duff took a seat behind his desk, Biko standing close by. Hamilton took a neutral position on one of the couches against the wall. Farroway maintained a position opposite of Duff.

"Is this suitable?"

"It will do. I'm understandably caution, General; you seem to have already suffered a significant security breach. I wouldn't want any sensitive information leaked to unfriendly ears."

Duff swallowed hard.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Don't be coy, General. I'm already aware of the data recovered from the 020 facility, or rather, how you allowed it to be compromised, and likely destroyed."

Duff's eyes went to Hamilton. There was no need for it to be said out loud, there was only one way Farroway could have known about it so soon after it had happened. Someone on-site would have to have told her, and it was just like an OCI rat to be snooping in places they shouldn't.

"Luckily," she continued. "The ramifications in so far as our operation here, are minor. The only thing it would have told us that we don't already know, is how the wall sustained the damage it did."

"Then maybe you can enlighten me as to what has been killing my people?"

"As I said, it's need-to-know. I don't need you to understand the ins and outs of what's happening here, General, all I need is your cooperation. You are severely ill-equipped to handle the situation, and you lack the clearance to warrant an explanation, which is why I and my unit are here."

"Not good enough, _Colonel._"

Farroway smirked.

"Really? Pulling rank? I'm here under the direct authority of UNDCOM, the OCI, and the UN Security Council. You may outrank me, General, but don't delude yourself into thinking you have any sway over me or my men. If you choose to make things difficult, you'll only be harming your own subordinates, and the UNDF will suffer a potentially crippling security breach, and I don't need to tell you who will bear the brunt of that blame."

Not waiting or giving room for a response, she turned her attention to Colonel Biko.

"Now, Colonel."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I'm told your unit is standing guard at the breach. You're also still sorting through the wreckage, correct?"

Biko nodded.

"We're performing a thorough inspection. We were forced to wait 24 hours after the rad-sweep, and then had to move the debris so that reconstruction work could commence, otherwise we would already be finished."

"Have you found anything?"

"Nothing yet," he said, almost reflexively.

"Disappointing, but not surprising."

He glanced warily over to Duff as she turned away from him. His compliance, and his answer, seemed to satisfy her.

"In the meantime, General, your men will begin round-the-clock patrols of all major and minor roads outside Kotova city-limits. I would also like for you to pull two-thirds of the guards posted at the wall's E-2 cargo gate from their station, and transfer them to the patrol groups."

"What purpose would that possibly serve?"

The E-2 cargo gate was one of the rare openings in the wall –a retractable two-way gate occasionally used by the settlers in the Scar and the Rangers as a means of groundside traffic, typically for the transportation of supplies. It was a hundred kilometers south of the breach, no-where near any of the strange occurrences the region had been experiencing.

"You don't need to understand, General," she replied, impatience edging into her voice, "you just need to do it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to attend to my people. I would like all patrol reports sent to me for review. Hamilton, please continue your assigned duties. If there is nothing else?"

The men were silent.

"Very good. In that case, I would ask not to be disturbed."

Farroway glided out of the room quickly and quietly, as if she'd scarcely even been there. Hamilton stood up a moment later, and followed suit. Duff sat at his desk, Biko standing still at his side. As soon as the door slammed shut, the General massaged his forehead tiredly.

"Biko."

"Sir?"

"Be candid, what do you think of the Colonel?"

"First impression? If I had a hundred Grimm in front of me, I'd be more concerned having her behind me."

"Agreed. I don't like being in the dark, and I get the distinct impression there is a very dangerous game being played around us. My men are not toys, and they are not pieces on a board."

"She does have the Brass behind her, though," Biko pointed out. "What can we do?"

Duff sighed.

"We'll play her game for the immediate moment. I'll have the guardsmen transferred and start the patrols. In the meantime, we at least know Hamilton is feeding her information on our activity; I'll have him monitored. If we can keep him busy, or distracted, then we'll have a blind-spot to work with. You get in touch with Wilhelm –make sure the line is air-tight. I want that device locked down. No one is to see it without my expressed approval."

"Understood."

Duff was left alone after that, with nothing but a headache, silence, and the dwindling stack of condolence letters cluttering his desk.

* * *

Weiss had worried that upon her arrival, she would have to concoct some elaborate explanation for her absence from the base, but was relieved to find that her departure had been unnoticed. As it happened, Jay and Yang had a little too much fun in the gym, and Yang –she insisted Jay had bet her to do it- tied up all the punching bags in the supply closet and then suplexed them.

Either way, they were both still cleaning the gym by the time she'd returned.

Blake had disappeared off with Malik to take Dmitry to the infirmary, according to the two of them, and Weiss discovered a substantial amount of reading material in the lounge. The Faunus explained that Malik had helped initiate her in Earth literature, and that she had many of his recommendations, as well as some of her own selections. A variety of hard and paperback covers cluttered the table, including _The Collected Tragedies of Shakespeare, Amaterasu to Zeus: An Anthology of Ancient Myths, The Romantics: The Complete Volumes, The Harry Potter 50__th__ Anniversary Commemorative Collection, _and a book called _Kama Sutra, _which she admitted she picked up mostly because of the cover_. _Somehow, that was unsurprising.

Ruby's whereabouts were a mystery. When Weiss questioned her, all she would reveal was that she had met a friend who appreciated Crescent Rose for the beautiful, unique girl that she was. As long as she was having fun, she supposed.

Now night had come again, and she sat in the cafeteria, a mug of coffee cooling in her hands. She'd been staring into it for a few minutes, mulling over everything she'd learned.

She wasn't sure what to make of it, but her family and their technology was involved, which chilled her to the bone at the possible implications. The time she nor her team could recall before waking up was surely involved as well. Something was horribly wrong, and she wanted now more than ever to understand. She had to know.

She had to know if Winter…if her father, especially her father…if they were…she didn't want to think it, but how could anyone have something like what she knew was sitting in that wall if at least one of them weren't–?

The sound of a chair being pulled out in front of her brought her gaze up.

Dmitry took a seat across from her, a bandage over the bridge of his nose, but otherwise fine. He gave her a pleasant wave hello.

"Dmitry, I wasn't expecting you."

He shrugged.

There was a ghost of a smile, but her mind was elsewhere. Dmitry slid his phone over to her.

'_You look worried.'_

"You could say that."

'_Is something wrong?'_

"I…can't talk about it. I want to, but…"

He nodded. It seemed enough for him.

"It's just…I think something very bad is happening. Here, and on Remnant, and I'm worried about my friends back home, and my family has me more worried."

'_If they're like you, they'll be okay. We'll get you home.'_

"I wish I was as optimistic about it."

They sat in silence for some time after that. A distantly ticking clock was the only indication that time was passing.

"Dmitry."

The Ranger perked up again at the mention of his name.

"Can I…can I confess something to you?"

He nodded slowly.

"I'm not really sure how else to say it, other than…I think…I hate my father. I'm not sure why I felt the need to tell you that, but it's been on my mind ever since I go…it's been on my mind lately. I can't even remember when I started to hate him, I don't know when it happened. Even when I was a little girl, he was distant, but as time went on, he got…we'll say he got worse."

She began swaying and swirling the mug in her hands as she spoke.

"I grew up with more money than I could even fathom. I never went hungry, I received the best education money could afford me, and I had a pedigree that would get my anything else I might have lacked. I thought, for a long time, that because of that, I shouldn't have felt lonely, or miserable, just because of my family –my father, or because of the people I lost. Yet I felt that way regardless."

She shook her head to herself.

"I must seem so full of myself, whining about all this to you."

Dmitry's reply wasn't immediate, but when it came, it was in the form of an outstretched hand. It grazed hers, turning it upright, and pressed something into it. It was a fabric, a cloth. He continued to press it into her palm gently.

She told herself she was gripping her handkerchief, but deep down she knew she was grasping for his hand, the loaned cloth a convenient excuse and frustrating barrier, silently hoping he would squeeze back.

The feeling of his fingers tightening against hers made her suddenly conscious of how cold her own hand had been moments before.

"Dmitry?"

His eyes met hers. She grinned for the first time since getting back.

"We can share my steak."

* * *

Happy Volume 3, everybody.


	11. Interlude 2: Bump in the Night

"As you entered the lobby, there was an  
inscription: "In the absence of light, darkness  
prevails." There are things that go bump in the  
night, Agent Myers. Make no mistake about that[…]"

–Professor Bruttenholm, _Hellboy_ (2004)  
.

**Interlude 2: Bump in the Night**

Yuri felt a nudge against his shoulder. He shut his eyes more tightly, ignoring it, but the nudge forcefully returned, more akin to a shove. He rolled over with a sigh.

"Yuri."

"Fuck off, Malcolm."

"Yuri, get up, man, we got a convoy and we need somebody on deck to translate."

"What time is it?" he groaned.

"Just short of 0200."

"So, not 0600 is what you're saying."

"Don't start with this shit, dude, you're all we got right now, and sarge is gonna be pissed if we're not out there in the next minute."

Yuri begrudgingly pushed himself upright.

"What about Simon?"

"Re-assigned, remember?"

Fuck, he'd forgotten. Yuri would really like to have run into whoever thought it was a good idea to pull over half the E2 garrison from the wall and throw them at useless patrols, and punch them upside the head. Orders had come down the pipeline for dozens of personnel for re-assignment, and by 0900 yesterday –technically– they were throwing just about anyone who could even effectively _look_ like they knew what they were doing at the sudden gaps in the roster. The E2 gate was a goddamn mess, and Yuri was pretty sure it wasn't even up to basic security standards at the moment.

With all the trouble the Grimm had been giving the region lately, it seemed like the shittiest possible timing. He'd heard it was due to the 40th being short-staffed, which he knew was bullshit. 3rd brigade had eaten shit hard during the breach incursion, but the rest of the division took losses well within acceptable limits. Patrols should have been no big deal, and even that had been the case, they could have just called in auxiliary forces from out west.

The whole thing just stunk of someone up at command being completely clueless.

"Look, you and Leo are all we got to work with, and he's got his nose so far up the el-tee's ass, I'd be on latrine duty for a week interrupting his beauty sleep, so you get the wake-up call. Sorry."

"We're inside the wall, we don't use latrines," Yuri replied, lazily throwing on his uniform jacket.

"I'm sure he'd have me build one first, then. Whatever, doesn't matter. Come on, sooner we get those Scar-side country bumpkins through the gate, the sooner you can go back to bed, and the sooner I can go back to pretending to be doing maintenance on the second floor emplacements."

"They've got you on maintenance?"

"Yeah, and tomorrow I'm Scar-side helping with the motion sensors. I'm a grunt for Christ's sake, I shoot shit, I don't fix it."

The thick metallic walls shielded the barracks from the cacophony of noise from the gateway, and as the door slid open, it all assaulted Yuri's ears at once. The Scar-side gate groaned as it rose up, allowing for a trio of beat and rusted pick-up trucks to roll through, heavy looking crates and settlers armed with old AK-47s in the rear beds. Automated turrets kept their barrels trained on the vehicles overhead from their mobile tracks, sliding along slowly as the trucks advanced.

"Nice antiques," muttered Malcolm.

"Careful, that's the pride of my country you're talking about."

If you'd asked someone a year before the Grimm appeared whether or not they thought the AK-47 would still be in production in 2078, they could be forgiven for saying no. Despite its age, the AK provided a quality sorely needed in the post-Grimm world: dirt-cheap reliability.

Not everyone was a unified international military with the carved up defense budgets of the G20 nations (and then some) in their pockets; the AK found its way to everyone, be they settlers, PMCs, or national militaries as a cost cutting measure. They did the same job as modern rifles like the T-40's, but at exponentially reduced price, and with the dwindling oil sales after the advent of fusion power and proliferation of solar farms and hydrogen cells, the AK family was one of the commodities key in keeping the Russian government's head above water in the early post-war age.

"Whatever you say, just go work your magic, man."

Yuri rolled his eyes as he approached the lead truck. A man in a musty coat and a shaved head rolled down the passenger-side window.

"_Cargo manifest?" _spoke Yuri in his mother tongue.

The man wordlessly passed him a thin spiral notebook with the contents of each truck scribbled down in pen. It was a fairly standard list of items. Most of it was lumber, animal hides, a few precious stones, and unsurprisingly, most of it was going to the Rangers. They were usually the settlements' biggest customers, since regularly riding in to rescue people from Grimm usually made them more open to offering discounts.

"_Alright, wait a few moments while we conduct a standard cursory search, then we'll move you along."_

They responded by rolling their window back up.

Yuri stepped back and watched as a few of his fellow soldiers climbed into the truck beds and opened the crates, rummaging through their contents. The settlers knew the drill, but that didn't mean they liked it. The UNDF weren't their favorite people to begin with; nobody lived Scar-side unless they wanted as far away from the rest of civilization as possible.

There was a rustic frontiersman appeal to it, he supposed, living off the land, building your own community, setting your own laws. Though personally, Yuri could do without constantly having to fight off packs of Direwolves or swooping Blackbirds just to take a shit in the outhouse. Being stationed inside the wall was already too close as far as he was concerned, Scar-side wasn't for him.

The last of the soldiers gave him a thumbs up, signaling that all their cargo checked out. Yuri nodded and approached the truck again. The passenger extended his hand through the rolled down window and took back his manifest.

"_Your cargo checks out. Follow the flashing lights to the end of the lane –do not exceed 15kph. If you make any move to deviate from the designated lane, you will be fired on. This is your only warning."_

"_We faced worse on the road here," _grumbled the driver.

Yuri almost asked him what happened, but the trucks were already humming down the lane, following the lights and the flaggers. He leisurely followed alone, trailing behind the lead truck and falling into step with the middle one. It wasn't an exceptionally long drive, only sixty meters or so, and the gate on the opposite side already began to slide open as they passed the halfway mark.

Yuri sighed contently, as he realized he could finally return to bed.

He wasn't sure exactly when it started, or by who. All he knew was that there was a loud clang, and when he looked over, his comrades were dropping to the floor in droves. It took him a moment to piece together that they were under attack, and that everyone was dying. He dove behind a barricade, as the armed settlers in the trucks began opening fire as well, killing more of his friends. There was some return fire, which killed a few of the exposed frontiersmen, but for the most part, the attack was brutal and one-sided.

There was only a few of them left now, he and some lucky ones who had been on the far-side of the gateway.

They were coming. He could see them.

Some of them were hooded, but most of them weren't. Some of them held curved swords, but most of them had rifles.

Then there was her.

Like most of the rest, she was unhooded. Her hair was raven black, and even from as far away as he was, he could see her eyes, blazing crimson like hot magma. She wore a white mask that covered her mouth and nose; jagged teeth adorned it where her mouth would be underneath, but stretched the length of the mask.

She carried an axe longer than her whole body, and a blade the size of her torso. He watched her bound across the gateway in a handful of seconds and slice a man clean in half with a single swipe, and cleave into the wall he was standing next to.

Yuri's heart dropped into his stomach as he felt those burning eyes fall on him. He picked up the sidearm of one of his fallen comrades and fired on her as she bolted towards him. She managed to completely side-step every shot he made until she was upon him. He fired his last round in desperation, and to his surprise, struck her dead-center in the chest at point-blank range.

She stopped in her tracks for a moment, looking down at the bleeding wound, then looked back up at him.

Without breaking eye-contact, she dug the fingers of her free hand into the wound, and ripped the bullet out of her sternum. Yuri watched in horror, back against the wall, as the wound closed itself shut.

She stepped up to him, even closer, and nuzzled her bloodstained hand against his cheek, then, gently, tracked his jawline. Her fingers grazed his chin as her slick thumb caressed his lips, slipping it between them, and then cupped his chin as she did so. He could taste her blood in his mouth. It was like crude oil, and smelled of rotting meat; the experience was disgusting, terrifying…and strangely erotic.

The pain didn't hit him right away. It simply happened too fast for him to properly register until he realized her hand had been drawn away from him.

And that she held his lower jaw in her hand. The panic set in, and on its heels came the waves of agony. His hands went up to where the bone had one resided, to find only air. The blood began running down his throat, but the shock and terror made him vomit, which simply sputtered up and dribbled from his esophagus.

She stood looking rather satisfied with her work as he collapsed onto the ground in spasms, screaming and bleeding to death. She licked some of Yuri's stray blood from her hand. If she'd had lips, she would have been smacking them.

"Sister Dahlia," spoke one of her subordinates.

"Forgive my interruption, but we must continue onwards."

She nodded.

"Contact the rear team. Bring forth the False Herald."

* * *

Several hundred feet above the ground, and kilometers away, Colonel Farroway sat in her command Wyvern, a mug of coffee steaming to her right. There were two operators onboard alongside her, patched directly into her ground team's communications and visual feeds.

"Ma'am, Tangos proceeding through E2 cargo gate," reported one of her operators. "Three trucks, Fords, early 2020's models, property of Scar-side settlers. Ground team is requesting permission to engage."

Farroway set her mug down after taking a sip.

"Can they confirm the tangos are in possession of the VIP?"

"Affirmative, they made brief visual contact. The GPS signal is good."

"In that case, permission denied. Have them followed and keep tabs on their movement in case we lose the signal, I want to know where they plan on taking him. Inform the ground-team that Delta-2 will be deployed for C&amp;C until further notice. We have what we need for now, take us back to REGCOM."

"Understood."


	12. Chapter 10: Bump Back

"You can't ever tell what's going  
to hurt people."

–Evelyn Waugh, _A Handful of Dust_

_._

"I'm being extremely clever up here, and  
there's no one to stand around looking impressed!"

–11th Doctor, Doctor Who

.

"[…]And we are the ones who bump back."

–Professor Bruttenholm, _Hellboy_ (2004)

.

**Chapter 10: Bump Back**

The night are was calm, and much colder in the farther north region. Several figures garbed in black climbed into a convoy of six old and rusted trucks, as jacketed settlers occupied the driver and passenger seats, engines humming. Many of the emerging figures emerged from the wall behind them stained with blood, but they paid it no mind.

The Father brushed some perceived dust off his shoulder as they exited the gate. Brother Sotha approached him with a quick bow.

"Brother, further news for me, I imagine?"

He nodded.

"Sister Daliah awaits us at the agreed upon meeting area. She has been holding her position for several days, and grows restless."

"I shall have to give her a personal apology when we meet again. The damned patrols were a hindrance; truly the soldiers of this land are gripped in fear to be watchful. No matter. She shall see us before the next moon falls. Come, morning draws near, we should make haste to the nearest settlement for now. Our journey is the longer, we shall continue tomorrow night."

"Of course, Father."

* * *

"And they're still holding position?"

"_Affirmative, GPS signal has been stationary for over 72 hours now. Only a handful have even left the structure since they arrived."_

Farroway leaned back in her chair. She'd requisitioned an office on the top floor of the West Admin. Building of REGCOM –her way of saying she forcefully evicted the previous tenants and set up shop. It had been now three days roughly since the E2 gate incident; the skirmish itself had been cleaned up rather tidily. The area had been sanitized, bodies disposed of, surveillance footage confiscated. The appropriate individuals had been fed a little white lie about a non-descript hazardous material breach, leaving no-one to question why it had been sealed off. From there it was a simple matter of keeping the General in the dark about it, which, despite his suspicions regarding her, had worked.

The last thing she needed was him breathing down her neck while she tried to work, and it was best to not anger him too much. Despite her superior authority in this particular matter, it was still his base, his command, and his forces in the field. She did need him.

Now her thoughts turned toward the offenders. They had made their way Northeast until the early morning along the crude roads carved out by the settlers, continuing on until arriving at what her map told her was Settlement G02. It was there that they had unloaded, seemingly taking the village hostage if the drawn weapons were any indication. The settlers they'd allied themselves with helped to reign in the people, while the obvious leaders in the black cloaks dragged the VIP into the largest structure of the settlement, likely a meeting hall or communications building.

A day and night passed since then, and now it was mid-day again, and still they were holding their position.

"They're waiting," she concluded. "This must be a rendezvous area, which means there _is_ a second group, and they'll be heading in that direction. We'll increase patrol frequency on this side of the wall. Get me round-the-clock satellite sweeps of the region, look for anything headed for that settlement, and alert me immediately."

"_Yes, ma'am."_

The comms closed, and the colonel sat considering the situation. Her forces would need to be on alert, ready for immediate deployment wherever they managed to find this separate team. Ideally they would be cornered out of possible escape to the Scar, but if they did manage to sneak by, or hadn't managed already, deployment would have to be quick and quiet; the UNDF was not particularly welcomed beyond the walls, and their presence would not be kept to whispers if they were seen. She would intercept this second team on the road, ideally capture them, use them as bargaining chips for the one they held, perhaps get a little intel out of them, but at the absolute least they had to be eliminated.

Farroway stood from her chair, and pressed her finger to her ear-piece.

"Major, we're on high alert. I want teams geared and transports prepped."

The door to her office creaked open, and she cut off the line without a word. Agent Hamilton stepped through the door.

"Hamilton, I wasn't expecting you. Any updates on the clean-up?"

"No, nothing. It's all taken care of. I just came to talk, if you have a moment?"

"I'm afraid something's just come up, if you–"

"It's just that, I have some misgivings about what happened at the E2 gate incident."

There was a momentary silence.

"I see."

"I just wonder, colonel, if those soldiers could have been saved. Were their deaths absolutely necessary?"

Farroway sighed.

"I deal in nothing but necessary evils, Hamilton, but I prefer not to think of the lives lost, but the lives saved. I moved far more of our troops out of harm's way by transferring them to the patrols. Patrols which will hopefully intercept a second group of those who wish us harm, and even if that is not the case, were still a prudent and necessary precaution. As for the gate? They slipped through because I wanted to track them to their base of operations, follow the worker bees back to the hive as it were, and then smoke them out. They would never have reliably continued forward if they knew we were following them. They hold their position, but hopefully we will be able to force their hand; they're so very close to completing their mission, whatever it might be, that I believe at the first sign of trouble, they will flee for the safety of their den."

"And who exactly are "they", colonel? You've been quite vague on that subject."

She waved the question off like dust on her shoulder.

"Russian Reclaimists, extremists with a hatred for the UNDF's policy of quarantine. Nothing but terrorists, ones who will soon feel the full weight of the United Nations on their backs, and be crushed underfoot by it."

Farroway shot Hamilton a small smile that was as hollow as the deceits she fed him. He didn't know what the truth of the matter was, but he knew lies when he heard them.

"Don't worry, Hamilton. I believe the first stroke of our victory will soon be dealt."

* * *

It wasn't often that Hamilton was apprehensive about knocking on an office door, but he was not ashamed to admit he was a bit intimidated by the general. Especially since he was well aware he was not within the man's good graces at the moment. Still, his conscience nagged him to knock against the bland metal; there would be no better opportunity than now for him to say what he had to say.

"It's unlocked," was the only reply.

With one final sigh, he pushed the door open. The old officer looked up, and immediately his face scrunched into a look of displeasure.

"And what do you want?"

"I've come to tell the truth."

"The truth about how you've been spying on me and my people since the moment you came here?"

"I was following orders," Hamilton rebutted, "but I had no idea that what I was reporting was going to Colonel Farroway. I didn't even know her name until she arrived, and I was just as surprised to know she had been receiving that information."

"Just a middle-man, right? If you think that will make me think more kindly of you, you're mistaken."

"I didn't come here to convince you to like me."

"Then why are you here?" Duff snapped.

Hamilton took a deep breath and took a seat at Duff's desk. What he was doing would possibly land him in hot water, but he supposed being a bad OCI agent was better than being a bad person.

"You want to know what the colonel is up to. I'm sorry to say I can't tell you everything, because I don't know. She keeps the whole picture even from me, but I can tell you two things of importance. What you do with it is up to you."

"And those being?"

"That the E2 gate she ordered you to move personnel from was attacked. I'm not sure by who, Farroway claimed they were Russian Reclaimists from the far-side of the wall when I asked, but I know that's not true. She wouldn't have took such pains to lie about it even happening if it were, and I don't know any militia Scar-side that could wipe out a whole Ranger team with a platoon of back-up without firing a shot, or coordinate an attack against the only wall in the world to never suffer even a minor breach before now."

"She knew," Duff growled to himself.

"Yes. Someone or something wanted to get to the Scar, and this was all her way of letting it happen. She wanted them to get through, so she softened the target. And now almost thirty people are dead for no reason."

"And what else?"

"You wouldn't know it just by looking, but she has her people on alert. There's a second group of the people responsible for the breach, and she and her people are on the lookout for them. She's hoping to stop them from getting to the Scar, but even if they aren't already there, I doubt she'll succeed in that. If you want to find out just what it is Farroway is doing here, then I'd say those people is the best way to do it."

"How do you propose we find them before she does?"

"You won't, you can't, but if you act quickly you can trail her forces, and observe. I'm privy enough in this operation that I can send you a signal when they've confirmed their location. In the meantime, I would suggest readying forces of your own. Discreetly of course."

"Of course."

Hamilton stood from his seat, straightening out his suit. As he turned to leave, Duff stood as well.

"Hamilton."

He turned to face the general.

"Tell me, why this change of tune?"

"Sorry?"

"Why tell me this?"

He was silent for a moment, gazing to the floor, then back up to the officer.

"The UNDF has many secrets. I've always believed that keeping those secrets was, in turn, keeping our people safe; civilians, soldiers. What I've seen of the Colonel's secrets…they sacrifice our troops and people on the altar deceit. She knew what would happen at the gate, I believe she may even know full well why the breach occurred, that these people were out there, plotting, working in the darkness, and did nothing. Thousands of soldiers, hundreds more civilians, all dead in the name of espionage; perhaps I'm too sentimental to be an OCI agent after all. I haven't the heart to be complicit in a higher body-count."

Hamilton gripped the cold metal of the door handle, and stepped into the threshold, halting there for a moment longer.

"I pray you find a better way, general."

* * *

It had now been nine days since the breach. Nine days. It wasn't such a long time, but as team RWBY thought about it, it felt like so much longer. Weiss theorized perhaps it was the sheer volume of events and new experiences that had fooled their senses.

Jay had made good on Saber's promise, and had announced upon their waking that she would be supervising a trip to Kotova. Malik came as well, mostly to supervise Jay. A shopping spree as it were, where they were free to pick up some things they either felt they needed or if anything caught their eye. After all, the shops on the Site 5 premises were convenient, but not extensive. Jay had initially offered to foot the bill, but Zhukov had actually authorized a small chunk of Site 5 budgetary funds go to them, as a sort of payment and thank-you for all their hard work.

Ruby almost declined, she wasn't used to receiving money in exchange for doing what she would have done for free regardless, but Zhukov assured her the money was being written off as Basic Necessities – which was not _totally_ a lie– and that the UNDF would compensate them, so in a roundabout way, the United Nations had paid for Ruby's new puppy-dog pattern scarf (it reminded her of Zwei).

The trip was a nice chance of pace and scenery; it was the first time any of them had seen Kotova not as a warzone, but as a home. The disrepair from the battle still scarred many areas, but the city couldn't stay closed off and stagnant forever. It had been declared safe once more, and already people had returned to their homes and jobs; shops and restaurants filled with customers, cars hummed down the roads, and people milled and conversed along the sidewalks.

Now they all stopped at a city park with take-out lunch, looking for a good spot to eat.

"Thanks for bringing us here Jay," chirped Ruby, carrying her pink baggy. It was filled with her scarf, as well as a few shirts and a skirt that Yang had all picked out for her.

Jay grinned and waved her hand dismissively.

"Hey, I'm all for spending cash that isn't mine. And besides–"

She picked up her pace and locked her arms around Yang and Blake.

"–all you guys saved my bacon at least once, you deserve a little somethin. Plus, I know how much you guys hate those fatigues we keep throwing at you."

"Down, Jay," chided Malik.

Jay mock-pouted, but released the girls. Once they were free, Yang stopped Blake and reached up to straighten her new lavender bow –which Yang had also picked out. It had been knocked off-center by Jay's lunge. She maneuvered the accessory back into place, and gently gave it a few strokes to smooth out any ruffles, unintentionally stimulating the ears beneath.

Color rushed to Blake's cheeks, causing Yang alarm.

"Sorry, I was just trying to help, I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"Oh, uh, it…it wasn't that. My ears are just, you know, a little sensitive, that's all."

"I didn't hurt you did I? I know I can be kind of rough and–"

"No!" Blake cut her off. "No, it, um…was the opposite, actually."

More blood was flooding to her face, and now Yang joined her in blushed silence.

"O-oh."

"Save it for your room, you two," interrupted Weiss.

The heiress smirked at getting a little revenge as Yang turned and fast-walked away, speeding past even Ruby. Blake shuffled more slowly towards a series of bench-tables that Ruby had decided on, absent-mindedly grazing her bow with her fingers.

"Well, you look awfully dazed."

"You're one to talk," Blake responded, taking a seat across from the heiress.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You've been keeping to yourself more than usual today," she said, her composure regained.

"I'm just tired," Weiss insisted.

"Weiss…"

"I promise, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

Blake extended a hand to Weiss' shoulder.

"Okay, well, if you decide you do want to talk about anything…"

"I appreciate the offer, Blake, really, but I'm okay."

Her teammate nodded, and dropped the subject.

"At any rate, you should be more focused on Yang."

"And why is that?" Blake mumbled, suddenly turning away.

"Oh please, you two have been shooting each other nervous looks and creating excuses to be alone ever since your pow-wow with Sun ended. I just wish you two would get it over with and stop pirouetting so clumsily around one another."

She sighed.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Painfully so."

"Just…keep it between us, okay?"

"I would, but I think it might be a little too late," Weiss smirked. She nodded her head to something over Blake's shoulder.

She looked behind her, to see Jay and Malik hovering over her, holding bags of food; Jay was grinning so widely Blake swore her face was going to tear itself apart. Malik just seemed to be observing Jay warily. She set the food down quickly and extended her arms wide.

"Jay, no," warned Malik.

"Jay, no," begged Blake.

"Jay, _yes_."

Blake tried to scramble away, but Jay easily scooped her up with a single arm, then rushed over to the other table, and grabbed Yang from behind with her free arm. She spirited both girls away from their seats to a completely separate table, set their food down, pinched both their cheeks, and then strode over to Weiss' table for her seat.

The look of excitement and satisfaction on her face was almost endearing.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Absolutely. There's nothing more satisfying in this world than watching romance blossom. If I have to give it a little nudge, well…"

"You call that a little nudge?"

"No need to thank me," she smirked. "Well, actually, you should still probably thank me. I was the one who convinced D to shower and change his clothes. The poor kid is clueless, you've got top-quality taste in men, princess."

Weiss choked on her ice-water and scowled at the Ranger.

"What? You went on a date."

"That was _not_ a date."

"Have you ever been on a date before, princess? Because I have, and that was a date."

"Were you and Yang separated at birth? I swear, both of you are seeing phantoms."

"Not your type?"

"Whether or not he's my "type" is irrelevant."

"Well he sure seems to like_ you_," she muttered, sipping at her soda.

"And…what makes you say that?"

Jay raised her eyebrows and continued to sip her soda. Weiss narrowed her eyes, hardening her glare. Jay exaggerated her exhale when she finished with her soda, smacking her lips.

"_Jay_," Weiss growled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you weren't interested."

"I'm not."

"Ah, well then I'll just…"

Jay moved to get up from the table.

"Wait."

She set herself back down, smugly eyeing the heiress, cupping her chin in her palm.

"Oh, put that grin away and just talk."

"Fine, rob me of my fun," she sighed. "Look, I'll just say this. D's been on Saber for a while now. Half a year –a little more than. I'm not saying I know the guy's life story, because I sure as hell don't, but I know enough about him to know he's not a big fan of company. He's always hiding in his room, or the armory, or out shooting at the range; I've been able to drag him around a couple times –he even had fun for a few of them– but he's no socialite. You're just about the only person I've ever seen him actually make an effort to interact with. I don't know why, but as far as he's concerned, you're something really special. Maybe it is nothing more than you two turning out to be fast friends, who knows, but regardless, you should know how much the attention he's giving you means."

A smile returned to Jay's face, and she tapped against the wood of the table rhythmically before standing back up.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go spy on the real love-birds."

Weiss watched her go, rubbed her eyes, and took a sip of her water. She couldn't afford to worry about this.

A table away, Ruby slurped down her strawberry milkshake, watching from a distance as Jay was apparently trying to play matchmaker between Blake and her sister.

"Boy, she seems even more worked up than usual all of a sudden."

"Yeah," Malik sighed. "She's a big, mushy romantic at heart; she's always loved this kinda stuff. She's got a pretty good track record too, if you can believe it."

Ruby laughed.

"Has she ever tried it on you?"

"You could say that. You could also say I'm her greatest failure. I've never been one for relationships."

"Same. Not that Yang hasn't tried, but being a huntress is enough excitement for me."

Malik raised his cup of soda and held it forward in a toast. Ruby bumped the tip of her cup to his.

"A toast to celibate warriors."

"Here, here."

As Malik set his drink back down, his phone buzzed in his pocket. The IM contact ID read Captain Korva, prompting him to immediately open the message.

"Huh."

"What is it?"

"We're being recalled. Saber Team just got put back on active duty."

* * *

Upon returning to Site-5, they were immediately ushered on to the Administration Building, pointed in the direction of briefing room 1A. Instantly they all felt an air of tense urgency. When they entered, Captain Korva and Dmitry had already arrived, and sat at the long conference table with Zhukov at the head. Korva had a noticeably sour expression on her face already, which didn't exactly bode well for whatever they'd been called for.

The Captain nodded in greeting, and Dmitry offered a small wave.

"Good, you're here," welcomed the Field Master. "Please, take a seat, all of you."

Once everyone was seated around the table, Zhukov tapped at a control console connected to the table, and the screen mounted on the wall behind him blipped to life. Major General Duff sat at his desk on the other end of the line.

Already he looked upset.

"Zhukov, why did you bring the girls?"

"We've seen fit to include them in this mission," replied Korva.

"Forgetting for a moment that they're not UNDF personnel, I won't have you throw these girls into the line of fire _again_. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Ms. Rose only sixteen?"

Ruby opened her mouth to speak.

"I–"

"She's old enough, leave her be," Korva interrupted. "Let's just get the briefing started."

Before Duff could protest further, Zhukov cut him off.

"The general believes he's found the people who were behind the breach, and possibly also responsible for bringing you to Earth," explained Zhukov.

Blake leaned forward in her chair.

"The people behind it? You've determined it was an attack?"

Duff sighed, but nodded.

"We have. The initial assumption was that some sort of accident or malfunction occurred within the wall, but there've been several incidents over the last week and a half that pointed toward a hostile coordinated effort, including the disappearance of the data your teams recovered from the mountains, and further small-scale assaults against UNDF forces, including the deaths of Ranger Team Katana. What finally tipped us off to what we were dealing with, was what we recovered from the wreckage of the breach."

Duff and Zhukov's gaze both fixed on Weiss. Suddenly realizing she was on the spot, her eyes darted between the screen, and the occupants of the table.

The last few days she had felt guilty, not being able to tell her friends what she'd discovered about their situation. That others from Remnant had been involved, probably responsible as well. Now that the moment was here though, she became worried. Would the implication of her father's involvement cause mistrust from Saber? From Dmitry? Disappointment from her teammates?

For this reason, she hesitated.

Korva caught her discomfort from across the table, and spoke up in her place.

"It was some sort of bomb, which used Dust as an explosive agent. It was damaged beyond any more recognition than that due to misfire or malfunction, but its purpose was clear."

Duff and Zhukov both exchanged glances, momentarily confused as to why the detail of the machine being of clear Schnee Company design was left out, but a stern glare from Korva was enough to convince them to gloss over it.

"Exactly," continued Duff, "which leads us to believe that your Remnant is involved in all this."

"Why would someone from Remnant want to attack Earth?" asked Yang. "Two weeks ago we didn't even know this place existed."

"That's one of the things we hope to find out," Zhukov assured her. "The General has located one team of these hostiles, and we believe a second is en-route to rendezvous with them in a settlement beyond the wall. It's likely that they've already slipped beyond the border, and if that is the case, then you will be the ones deployed."

"Will we be taking prisoners, or are we shooting to kill?" asked Korva.

"Neither," said Duff. "You'll be tracking and observing, gathering intel, nothing more."

Jay raised her hand from the back.

"Far be it from me to give tactical advice to a general, but wouldn't maybe _stopping_ the guys who blew up our fancy wall and killed our friends be a high priority? What good is intel if they meet up and get away?"

The two commanding officers were quiet for a moment, before Duff cleared his throat.

"This mission is not, technically speaking, UNDF sanctioned. You'll be deployed with a much larger Ranger force under the guise of a dummy-op, and break off for your real assignment while the others continue on. Officially speaking, this mission, and this briefing, are not taking place. They won't be appearing on record."

There we looks exchanged between Saber team.

"Command was kind enough to send us an envoy a few days ago to "handle" the situation we're facing. She's been less than forthcoming about the who's and what's, and she's put many of my personnel at risk in her short time here; luckily she's unaware we discovered the explosive device, and so she's ignorant of how much we really know. We were tipped off that she's sent her entourage on high alert, and so we're doing the same. When she deploys her forces, you'll be following; we'll let her take the brunt of the fighting –you'll be watching, observing who it is we're up against, gathering evidence."

It was Malik who raised his hand this time. Zhukov nodded in acknowledgement.

"Not to sound insubordinate, but why are we conducting this basically illegal operation? If she's handling it, why are we getting involved at all?"

"The general doesn't believe this envoy has any of our best interests at heart," replied the Field Master. "There've already been multiple fatalities due to her adherence to secrecy, and more importantly to us, is the implication that these people may have had a hand in bringing our huntresses to Earth."

"Which means they may have a method of sending them back," finished Korva. "Which is something we will likely never find if we don't take matters into our own hands."

Malik shrugged, and seemed satisfied with the answer.

"I must stress that this is not a combat mission," said Duff. "You'll keep your distance, observe, report, and if you do your jobs well, you won't fire a shot. Which is once again, why I am opposed to having the huntresses tag along."

Zhukov sighed, knowing what was coming next as Korva made no secret that she was rolling her eyes. Ruby interjected, trying to keep the peace, and make her case.

"General–"

"–I've made my decision clear already," Korva interjected. "They are a well-trained team with a personal stake in the outcome of this mission, they deserve to be present."

"If you cared at all about the outcome of this mission, you wouldn't be bringing them. This operation relies on remaining unseen, a larger group will only increase the chances of discovery. What's more, I don't care how well trained they are, I won't allow you to drag them into this legal gray-area. Their position here is uncertain enough as it is."

Ruby stood up from her chair, with what Yang could see as a legitimately angry expression on her face, snapping between Duff and Korva.

"Stop talking about us like we're not in the room! We're not kids, we don't need to be taken care of, we know what we're doing!"

She then turned her attention fully to the general.

"All we've done since we arrived is try to help. Haven't we done enough to earn at least your respect?"

"I don't disrespect you, I worry for your safety, and not just your physical safety."

Duff massaged his eyes for a moment, putting his words together in his mind.

"Ruby, have you ever killed a man?"

"I–"

Korva was standing now.

"What kind of question is that?"

"Will you stop mothering her for one second and let her speak for herself!" Duff shouted back.

She begrudgingly grew silent, settling back into her chair. Ruby glanced at her, then to the screen, waiting to see if there would be any more outbursts.

"I've killed Grimm," she answered, "and I've seen people die. Just because I'm young…"

"That's not what I asked. Have you ever killed a _human being_, Ruby? Have you ever driven that scythe of yours through someone's body and watched the life drain from their eyes, or put someone's head dead-center in that rifle's crosshairs and pulled the trigger to see a shower of red? Have you–"

"If you have a point, make it!" Korva snapped.

"My point is that if you insist on putting them in unnecessary danger, you should consider that there's more that can happen to someone on the battlefield than death! The body is easier to mend than the mind; maybe one day she, or any of them, will have to take a life, a sentient life, but I'll be damned if I let you make that day today! Thirteen years later and you still haven't learned a _thing_ from your mistakes!"

Zhukov realized at this point there was no salvaging the conversation, and wondered if he'd made a huge error in judgment hoping Korva and Duff would be able to set aside the past in the interest of an impending mission. They had been forced to see each other more in the last few weeks than usually occurred in months; it seemed he'd pushed luck too far. He hurried to the rest of Saber, quietly asking them to escort team RWBY and themselves out of the room. They nodded, Jay ushering Yang along while Malik took care of Blake. Dmitry urged Weiss and Ruby along, all of them heading towards the door, though Ruby resisted, and re-entered the room.

"You treat everyone capable of holding a weapon like they're a Ranger, and it's them who're going to pay the price, just like it killed Cor–"

"Don't you dare say it!"

"Why? Because you don't want to hear the truth?"

"Because I–"

"Will the both of you _SHUT UP!_"

Korva and Duff's gaze snapped from either other toward the door. Ruby stood at the end of the table, red in the face, glaring at both of them.

"We have a job to do, and the only ones acting like kids are you two! The last thing we need is the two of you fighting! Maybe we are young, maybe you feel like you need to protect us, and maybe I haven't ever really killed anybody, and maybe you don't like that, but I'm a huntress! We all are! We decided we were going to fight to protect humanity from the Grimm and everything else out there the minute we stepped off the air-ship at Beacon, and we're not going to stop just because we're on a different planet, or universe, or because of anything any of you say! We'll wear uniforms, or use code-names, or whatever, but you can't stop us from going out there to do our job, to help people, to find the truth about what happened to us! This is our fight too!"

The whole room remained dead silent as Ruby turned and walked toward the door. Rangers and huntresses alike parted as she passed.

"We're going," she muttered.

She turned and looked back to both the screen, and to Korva, addressing them both.

"We don't need to be protected. We don't need anyone fighting battles for us. I've had enough people coddling me, and dying for me, to last the rest of my life. I thought after everything you'd take us seriously, but I guess I was wrong."

Without another word she left the room. Duff and Korva both sat in their chairs with glazed over looks for a few seconds before the general reached out towards the screen.

"Further mission details will be forwarded. Maintain full readiness…Saber and RWBY have the green light. Duff, out."

The screen went black.

* * *

The remnants of Saber and RWBY shuffled around the surface armory of Site 5, situated near the helipads, prepping their gear for their as of yet unknown time of deployment. Ruby had not come to prepare as they had thought she would, and Korva was just as well no where to be seen. Yang took a seat on one of the benches, fitting Ember Celica back onto her wrists, and sighed.

"Well…that was a thing."

"No kidding," muttered Blake after a moment. "I don't think I've ever seen Ruby shout like that."

"Ditto for the Cap. I knew her and Duff butted heads, but I've never seen 'em just shout in each other's faces like that. What should we do?"

"Well, all there really is to do is wait," said Malik.

He tossed Blake an ear-piece, which she deftly caught. Weiss finished fiddling with her boots, and glancing around curiously.

"Where did Dmitry go?"

The question caused the rest of the room's occupants to look around in confusion. They hadn't even noticed he was gone. Jay shrugged.

"Must have slipped out while we were getting everything together. Guy's a fast worker."

Just then her phone began buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out, checking the incoming message.

"_Oooooh_," Jay cooed.

"What?"

"He wants to meet at his room. How scandalous, I didn't know D had it in him."

Weiss smacked her palm into her face. She knew the poor moron had meant it innocently enough, but leave it to Jay to twist it into the inevitable inappropriate connotation. Even if _that_ was what he wanted, even he wasn't so dense as to use someone else –especially Jay– as a middleman. At least she hoped so.

"I'm finished here anyway," she huffed, heading toward the nearby elevator. "You all have fun."

"Don't have too much fun, we got a mission coming up! Last thing we need is you two with weak legs!" Jay shouted as the doors closed.

"You shouldn't pick on her like that," said Malik.

Jay shrugged as she set out her LMG on the rack.

"I pick on her cuz I like her. She's cool."

"You think she's cool?" chuckled Yang.

Jay gave her a questioning look.

"Yeah? I think all you guys are awesome. What, did you think I didn't?"

"Well no, it's just…"

"Just what?"

"Nothing, forget it."

"Is this about what happened in the briefing room?"

Yang and Blake both raised their heads from their own tasks for a moment with surprised expressions. Jay and Malik shared a concerned glance.

"Do you feel like we don't respect you?"

"Because we do!" rushed Jay, clearly distressed. "I wish I could do half the shit you guys can. If it's the teasing, that's just what I do to people I trust. I didn't mean to–"

"What she means," Malik interjected. "Is that you've watched our backs since minute one. We wouldn't have closed the breach without you, we probably wouldn't even be _alive_ without you. Jay and I agree the Captain was overbearing back there, but she's just protective like that, she didn't mean to upset you or Ruby."

"We know you guys got your own reasons and your own stake in this. And we sure as hell know we couldn't stop you even if we didn't want you along –which we do! But just keep in mind that we wanna help you guys get home too, and sucker-punch those assholes that threw you here. Nobody messes with my buds."

The two huntresses stared back in continued silence until both began smiling, Yang laughing behind a clenched fist. Their Ranger counterparts looked on, confused.

"That's…that's nice of you to say and all," she said, stifling herself. "But you don't need to freak out. I was going to say it's just that we think _you_ guys are cool."

The two girls were suddenly lifted off the ground, pulled into yet another one of Jay's legendary hugs. She clung them each in an arm and held them close.

"I am gonna miss you guys so much when we get you home," she whined.

"They're not gonna get anywhere if you suffocate them, Jay."

* * *

Weiss hated how much Jay and Yang both managed to get under her skin. Curse her temper. She rode the elevator down in silence, and her team had stayed with the Rangers long enough for her to know how to navigate the subterranean corridors. She didn't even need to use the color-coded lines and security stations as land-markers anymore.

She passed through the familiar lounge just beyond the hall where her and Saber's rooms were, and noticed something leaning against the door she knew was Dmitry's. Curious, she approached to inspect it. It was a thin object, wrapped in admittedly cheap looking wrapping-paper, with a label on it with her name scribbled down. She picked it up, and knocked on his door.

There was no reply, so she knocked again.

Still no reply.

"Dmitry, are you in there?"

This time there was movement from beyond the door, and the latch clicked as it slid open just a crack. Dmitry's hand wormed out of the gap, phone in hand, text display on.

'_Open it.'_

"Are you going to come out?"

He responded by shaking his phone up and down, as if to repeat the words more urgently.

"Okay, okay, I concede. I'm opening it."

Weiss neatly picked the tape off the paper, unfolding it neatly back in one mostly unblemished sheet. From where she had unwrapped it, she could at least deduce it was a frame, and she immediately became excited. Could he have finished it so soon?

Weiss wasted no time in turning it over, and held it out in both hands to take the image in. It took her a moment to realize it wasn't just colorless flowers in the image, like all the others had been. This one was had a woman in it, gracefully cupping a vibrant flower in her hands as the wind wreathed her in petals of every shade, and her hair flowed with the breeze. Golden light sparkled down from beyond the edge of the page.

It was her. It was the evening they'd gone up to the mountain.

It became all the more impressive as she remembered doing exactly as the work displayed, and realized that it had to have been drawn entirely from memory. He really could draw without reference.

"Dmitry, this is unbelievable."

His hand returned from beyond the door.

'_In a good way?' _

The absurdity of the question incited a laugh.

"Yes, you moron, in a good way, in a very good way. I love it."

Weiss reluctantly placed the picture down, leaning it against the wall next to the doorframe.

"Will you come out now?"

There was a moment of hesitation before the door began to pull back the remainder of the way, and Dmitry stood on the other side, fiddling the hair on the back of his neck, very obviously not making eye-contact on purpose.

"Were you shy about showing it to me?"

He very subtly nodded.

"I'm glad that you did. What possessed you to draw me, though?"

Dmitry actually parted his lips for a moment, looking like he had just barely suppressed a thought. Instead, he just shrugged.

"Was there a reason?" she pressed.

He took a deep breath, typed in a new sentence on his phone, and presented it to her, now completely averting his face. She couldn't tell if he was blushing, or if he was holding his breath.

'_I draw what I think looks beautiful.'_

The answer caught her off guard, yet it made her feel happy. Like she'd been hoping that was the reason?

"Dmitry?"

He still wasn't looking directly at her, but he turned more in her direction.

"Would you be alright if I hugged you?"

Dmitry considered it for a moment, before nodding slowly. He hadn't even fully raised his head back up from the second nod before Weiss had her arms over his shoulders, squeezing him harder than he'd expected and she'd meant to, but the force was not lessened. He stood for a second or two, not quite sure what to do next, but supposing maybe he should hug back. Deciding that was a good plan, he did so, putting his arms around the small of her back.

It was a tough, considering Weiss was hugging him in his field gear, but it didn't stop her. She clung to him for a few seconds longer after he brought his arms around her, maybe a little longer than was considered a standard friendly hug, but she felt something from him as she prepared to pull away.

It was curious, he didn't seem to be doing it on purpose. It was like shivering…no, not shivering. Trembling. But not the kind of trembling that came from nervousness. This was more.

They separated, and Weiss eyed him worriedly. He didn't seem all together there, he was looking into space, looking distant.

His hand came up to his throat and began rhythmically grazing it. Beyond that he was so still, he didn't even seem to be breathing.

"Dmitry, are you–"

His head snapped up to meet her eye to eye, like he'd been knocked out of a trance. He seemed genuinely confused for a moment.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded, but she wasn't sure she believed him.

* * *

Hamilton prided himself on not being a very assuming or intimidating person. It helped in his line of word. People assumed you weren't a threat, or that you didn't have the courage to cross anyone higher up on the chain than you. It made doing those sort of things all the easier.

Of course he covered his tracks while monitoring Farroway's people, while listening on radio chatter and slipping in on data-traffic to have the up-to-the-minute information on when and where she would be sending her people, but it might have been a formality. Farroway was a supremely confident woman, Hamilton found. Confident in her ability to read people. Confident in her belief that she had him under her thumb, and that, like Duff had also believed, he was willing to follow blindly whomever he was told.

She would likely suspect him, but as the red-flags and sudden burst in encrypted messages and forwards dashed in front of him, it would not be until it was too late to matter. In this instance, he'd completed his job.

He copied the necessities, bound them as tightly as he could, slipped them through the proverbial back-door, bounced them off more proxies than he cared to remember (just to be safe), until it found its way safely to Site 5.

The rest was up to them.

* * *

Both Ruby and Korva disappeared for the rest of the day after that, despite everyone's best efforts to find them, but when the call came down from Zhukov that the light was green, and the operation was a go, they found the two leaders were already outfitted and standing near the helipad. They were uncharacteristically silent.

The sun had long since dropped, and clouds would every so often find their way along the path of the moon's light, blotting it out. There were four Chimeras ready for take-off, and three Ranger teams loading up onto them. As the teams fell in, Korva gave them the last-minute run-down.

"Officially, we're being deployed on a defensive action's mission over a dozen klicks south-east of our estimated drop-zone, but that's a dummy-op. A smokescreen. We will continue on our scheduled course, and then break off with the help of the class-1 stealth suite we we've been loaned by the Army. A dummy drone will be deployed transmitting a fake IFF and silhouette in our place, while we drop down below radar, land, and then proceed on foot. Remember, we're being deployed with no IFF transponders, no emergency transponders, we will be maintaining radio silence with the far-side of the wall, and the other teams will not back us up; we're on our own. You all know the ROE, so no one let their trigger-fingers get the better of them. Understood?"

Each one of them nodded.

"Good, then climb aboard."

The teams stood aside as the rear hatch of the Chimera whirred open. As they waited, Yang inched closer to her sister, leaning down towards her and lightly grasping her arm.

"Hey, Rubes, you okay? We've been kinda worried."

She nodded from under her hood, which she'd drawn up since before they arrived.

"I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you, I just wanted to do my own thing for a while."

"It's cool. You good for this?"

"Of course," she replied, glancing up with a smirk. "Once step closer to getting home."

Yang smirked back, and gave her shoulder a playful punch before the two teams climbed up the rear hatch. Blake and Weiss gave Ruby a curious look as they passed as well, but a quick nod of assurance was enough to put them at ease. As they took their seats, the comms overhead crackled.

"_Welcome back, ladies and gents, to Viper airlines." _

Jay's face lit up.

"That you, Viper?"

"_The one and only. Put in a transfer after that biz at the wall, and it all settled yesterday. I'm your personal chauffer now, Lieutenant."_

"Oh, no need to go all formal on my, baby. You're rolling with us now, call me Jay."

"Are you going to flirt the whole way there?" jibed Blake.

"Don't give her ideas," warned Malik. "She'll keep doing it just out of spite."

"Hey, I shamelessly flirt with Vipe because he knows what I like."

Weiss smirked and rolled her eyes.

"Meat and explosions?"

"Meat, explosions, and cheesy mid-to-late 20th century rock music."

The comms cut in again.

"_Captain?" _the pilot asked expectantly.

Korva waved her hands in half-hearted approval.

"You know the rules."

"_Understood. Be advised, our take-off is go, we're lifting off. In the meantime…"_

**_"Toniiight, I'm gonna have myseeelf a real good tiiiime_**

**I feel aliii-iii-iiiiive**

**and the woooorld**

**_it's turning inside out_**

**_Yeah!_**

**_I'm floating arou…"_**

* * *

High above the ground, Delta-2 hovered; the roar of their thrusters as they kept the Wyvern transport level in the air would seem perhaps the rumbling of distant thunder, if it could be heard at all. It's black exterior, matched with the night sky and frequently cloud-covered moon made it all but invisible to the naked eye, and was no more easily detected on radar.

Within, Delta-2 once again provided local C&amp;C support to the ground teams, Alphas 1 through 4. Each a five-member team, they numbered a small platoon in total, and all lied in wait for the target convoy that was currently being tracked via satellite.

They'd caught them a little less an hour ago departing from a settlement close to the wall –already beyond it as Colonel Farroway had feared. Six trucks, all taking a route directly pathed toward the suspected rendezvous point to the east. The Alpha ground teams were scrambled, and had set up multiple kill-boxes and fields of fire along the road, as well as tire-traps to force them out of the trucks. In the dark of night they'd never be able to spot them.

The convoy was about six klicks away from the ambush point, when one of the pilots called back into the canopy.

"Major, we've got multiple pings on radar."

"Grimm?"

"Negative, aircraft. Low fliers. Radar silhouettes ringing as…Chimera troop transport, looks like an Army variant. Pulling up IFFs…they're transmitting UNSOCOM."

"Rangers," he muttered, then turned to one of his ops. officers. "Are there any scheduled Ranger deployments for this area?"

"One moment."

There was a few moments of clicking around on his command display as he accessed the necessary logs. Reading it over, he nodded.

"Right here, defensive actions operation. They had it in the pipeline ever since the breach; Ranger Teams Talwar, Chokuto, Falchion, and Saber all slated for deployment. Four teams, four transports. Their area of operation is well outside ours, they won't have any idea we're here. It checks out."

"Pilot, can you confirm their heading?"

"Heading confirmed, they're…"

His reply was caught in his throat as he looked closer at his display. It had looked for a moment as if one of the transports had flickered off the screen, but no. No, it was right there, still in formation, IFF still transmitting. Must've been a hiccup in the screen or something.

"Pilot?"

"Heading confirmed, they're on course away from us."

"Very well," he said to himself, then pressed in on his ear-piece.

"Alpha teams, be advised, hostiles 5 klicks and closing. Once vehicles have been neutralized, you are free to engage, I say again, once vehicles are eliminated you are weapons free."

"_Copy that, Delta. We're on standby."_

* * *

"You think they bought it?" muttered Yang.

Despite the seriousness of what they were doing, the activation of the stealth system, the launching of the drone, and the embarking on their true, covert mission was rather anti-climactic beyond Viper having to cut his music. It had been a, so far, quiet affair.

"Well, there's no alarms are going off, nothing's exploding, and we're not crashing this time. I think we're okay," snarked Blake.

"_Ow. You do know I can still hear you, right?"_

"Don't listen to her, Vipe, you just do you."

"_Yeah, yeah. I picked up some faint radio signals just a couple klicks out, and quite a few thermals to match. I'd say a dozen of those guys, at least. I'll mark it for your HUDs."_

"Confirmed, I have it," said Malik as he pulled down his mask.

The rest of Saber did the same, and confirmed the ping.

"_I'll be setting you down here. I won't be aerial this time, so you'll have to make your way back here for extraction."_

Korva was the first to stand from her seat as Viper came in for a landing.

"Acknowledged. Team, form-up."

The rest of the Chimera's occupants followed suit, standing at the ready behind her. There was a thud beneath their feet as the landing struts cushioned their meeting with the ground, and the rotors were already ceasing their buzzing.

"Eye's sharp," advised the Captain. "Let's go hunting."

* * *

UNITED NATIONS DEFENSE FORCE ENCYCLOPEDIC DATABASE

**Reclaimist:**

_Reclaimism entered the common public knowledge as a political movement in the late 2020's, as the dust from the Grimm War finally settled. Individuals, especially numerous in the Russian Federation, who opposed the UNDF policy of sectioning off expanses of land considered too densely populated with Grimm to feasibly retake by conventional military means became known as Reclaimists. When the exclusion zones, precursors to the walls, were established, Reclaimists regularly made public protests calling for military action against the Grimm, rather than sitting along the borders._

_By the early 2030's, the exclusion zones proved to be an inadequate solution to the Grimm problem, and the walls were proposed as permanent replacements and subsequently began construction. Reclaimists were outraged, conducting further protest, political stunts, and in isolated incidents, violent terrorist action. By the closing of the decade, they were internationally discredited as a party, and placed under heavy scrutiny and observation._

_In one last act of defiance, many Reclaimists ventured out beyond the borders of the walls, and began building communities in the wilds. Many failed, collapsed, or were overrun by Grimm, but an equal number survive, and thrive in the hostile lands to this day. They maintain their distrust, if not outright hatred of the UNDF, and indeed anyone beyond the borders of the walls. The only group with which they regularly associated were the Rangers, but even they have fallen into disfavor with some communities since their merger with the UNDF in 2058._

* * *

_A little something extra I thought I'd try. Some world-building post-chapter blurbs a-la World of Remnant. I've add some to a few older chapters, but there won't be anything story critical in them, so if you'd rather not go back to check them out, you're not missing too much._


End file.
